Chocolates and Wine
by Smurfledoodles
Summary: slight AU, Sam and Danny finally get their lives order and together. But when Sam's ex honey shows his face, what'll happen to them? WARNING! Lemon, it's rated M for a reason...R&R! review, review, review!
1. WuvTwue Wuv

**Disclaimer**: I don't own…I am not worthy to own…::bows to bust of Butch Hartman:: Hartman owns all…

It was interesting….growing up she had never expected to have these feelings for anyone. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue sky she had to go and fall….fall HARD…for her best friend. In the peaceful silence of Amity Park's city park, a loud groan ripped through the morning.

"Stupid…stupid…." grumbled a young woman, absentmindedly brushing her inky hair back behind her ear. It was early in the morning during the summer and Samantha Manson had decided to go jogging to see if she could clear her head of the images of a tall, dark haired, blue eyed man haunting her every moment. This wasn't supposed to be happening. She wasn't fourteen anymore for god's sake!

Jesus, she was twenty-two now…graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Fine Arts and was planning in a year or two to head back for a Masters in something or other. She didn't have time for guy problems! Hell, she had just finished with one major one. Sighing quietly, Sam swiftly bent down to grab her backpack, but before she could it miraculously picked itself up and was floating just out of her reach.

"Problems ma'am?" A husky disembodied voice interrupted her quiet…

Sam growled lightly and stared at the space before her where her bag was dancing lightly in the soft breeze, taunting her. "Danny, if that's you I really don't have the time this morning for your tricks. Besides, aren't you supposed to be having brunch or whatever with Valerie? Commemorating something or other?"

Suddenly a specter appeared before her, a closed look upon his handsome face as he gripped her bag and looked at her. Over the years, time and ghost fighting had been kind to Daniel James Fenton. No longer was he the short, lanky fourteen year old. Now, there were muscles in places he hadn't know he'd had to begin with, but there was still the same innocent quality to him that had drawn Sam all those years ago. She quickly came to herself, realizing that she was staring into his bottomless, vivid green eyes. A faint blush stained her still snowy complexion.

A husky chuckle escaped Danny's lips as he saw the blush gently grow across his old friend's face. Even in all their years together as best friends, Danny still couldn't put his finger on what made the woman before him. In the years since he first became a halfa, Sam had virtually exploded into womanhood. No longer blatantly into the gothic subculture, she nevertheless never gave up dark colors in her clothing. She still refused to be anything but an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian and she would never lose the independence that had won Danny and Tucker as friends and kept the rest of Casper High at bay. Looking over her figure with a critical eye, Danny could swear that he had never expected his best friend to become…so…well, for lack of a better word…HOT. Tall for a woman at around 5'8, since she had been out jogging that morning all Sam had tossed on before hightailing it out of her parents home was a black sports bra, leggings and her tennis shoes. Her hair was longer now, layered so that when it was down it fell choppily, each layer brushing her back, shoulders and cheekbones, but at the moment was up in a ponytail. Flushed from her run and still blushing, to Danny, Sam was all creamy skin and rosy cheeks. Belatedly he realized what she had asked him…inwardly groaning, he wondered why she had brought up Valerie.

It was true, this morning he was supposed to be over at her apartment eating brunch for to celebrate their second year together. After graduation, Sam had gone to New York and Tucker had flown to Massachusetts to attend MIT. But while they were enjoying their college experience to the fullest, Danny, as resident town protector against all things ghostly had decided that leaving Amity Park for months at a time just for school was not a smart idea. So he had stayed behind to go to the university there, graduating on time (not that the ghosts didn't try to make sure that never happened….). Unfortunately, Valerie had come to the same conclusion that the town needed her and had stayed behind as well…Sam grimaced slightly, who's brilliant idea was it to leave Danny and Valerie together? Oh yeah, that would be hers…never in a million years had she figured that Valerie would stay behind to continue ghost hunting.

Swallowing loudly, Sam took a step towards Danny and reached out for her bag. Looking into his eyes, never breaking contact, she hesitantly grasped one of the straps and pulled it slowly to her.

The whole time he was openly staring at her, wondering why in the world she was so shy all of a sudden. "Sam?"

She jumped slightly, not expecting him to say her name…it always sounded so different when he said her name than when another guy did. Just the way it left his lips made her want to melt. "Yeah Danny?" Did that sound breathless? She guessed it did from the way his eyes widened slightly.

"Look, you've been back for a while now and we haven't had much of a chance to get together…would you want to maybe do something tomorrow?" Still floating in midair, He grinned sheepishly and rubbed his gloved hand behind his neck in a classic nervous manner. Sam must have turned a little redder because he continued to ramble, "I mean I know I've been busy with the ghosts and work and Valerie…but I haven't seen you in months and Tuck's not here this summer with that stupid internship of his in Japan so I just figured…"

Laughing softly, Sam quickly held up her hand to stall the rest of his sentence, "Danny, that'd be fine. I'm free tomorrow, look why don't you just come by my place. I mean if you still remember where it is." At that she grinned at him just as he grinned back. He nodded, "It's a date…I mean…uh…I'll see you then Sam!" And with that he simply disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a sudden gust of wind.

She smirked, even after all this time he still got flustered easily.

Way, way up in the air, a distant speck of black against a backdrop of blue, Danny stared at the equally distant black speck that was quickly picking up speed as it moved towards a pricier side of town. Knowing he was high enough up in the air that no one could possibly hear him Danny gave a loud groan. How could he…no, he was late…he was supposed to be at Valerie's right now. Another groan ripped its way from the halfa. Even after two years together Danny hadn't found a way to tell his girlfriend that he was the ghost that she hated with a fiery passion. They still fought on a weekly basis and then always afterwards she would call his cell demanding he came over right away. Apparently fighting his alter ego was horny work. Not that he was complaining…at least not at first he wasn't.

Moving with the various air currents, Danny floated among the clouds above the city, just thinking before he had to brave the lion's den and head to Valerie's. He had just been doing a quick sweep of Amity Park when he had decided that flying through the park would be the quickest shortcut to Valerie's when he had almost quite literally ran into Sam. Lucky him that flying Air Phantom included anti-lock air brakes.

Blushing, Danny had to admit it had taken him a second to recognize his friend. It had been almost a year since he had seen her, not since last August and it was June at the moment. He smirked, she had changed a lot. The curves she'd had before leaving home had finally all filled out; leaving the leggings she had been wearing to show each curve and swell of her legs and ass. Danny's blushed deepened as he then contemplated her sport's bra; her breasts hadn't been that big last year had they? Whoo boy. He knew she was single, though they hadn't seen each other in ages, every week or so the two traded emails in order to be updated on the other's life. It would have been three, but Tucker was currently so busy that if he managed to call at least once a month both Sam and Danny considered themselves lucky, but it was only for another two months and then the techno geek could come home.

Thinking about Sam, plus the lack of air that high in the sky made Danny's jumpsuit almost painfully tight against his body. Resting his head in the palm of his hand, Danny sighed. Life as Valerie's boyfriend wasn't at all like he'd imagined in high school. She was more than slightly controlling, like when she called him demanding sex after her battles with Phantom. Sometimes, to Danny, it just felt like he was a replacement for the time being for someone else. But for the life of him, Danny couldn't figure out who.

In fact, if he was completely honest with himself Danny had to say that the spark in their relationship had completely disappeared almost a year ago. Around that time Valerie became even harsher, and at times Danny could have sworn he'd heard her pant another name as he was buried deep inside her. Course to be perfectly fair he wasn't exactly faithful there either….little over a year ago he had stopped thinking of Valerie during sex and had started imagining someone else. Someone who had just popped back into his life wearing a sports bra and leggings. Making up his mind finally, Danny straightened his jumpsuit and nosedived in the direction of his girlfriend's apartment.

"Hi Honey, I'm home!" Danny sang quietly as he gently opened the front door to Valerie's loft. Silence greeted him. Frowning slightly, Danny dug into his front pocket for his cell phone though he couldn't remember it going off. Glancing at the screen proved he wasn't crazy, his phone hadn't rang and he was half an hour late for the anniversary brunch. "Val? Where are you?" Danny called a bit more loudly as he walked into the hallway leading to the kitchen, dining area and back bedroom. A muffled sound reached his ears, very faintly but growing louder and louder as Danny steadily made his way to the back bedroom.

Standing outside the door, hand poised to turn the doorknob and enter the room something made him stop. Leaning towards the door, Danny placed his ear against the wood.

"Oh…uh…yeah…right….YES… OH GOD….AGAIN, HARDER! TU…" Just then an ear shattering moan pierced through the doorway. Knowing that moan (albeit not when it reached THAT pitch but still…) Danny quickly turned the knob and walked in to see the shock of his young life. There in the bed that he and Valerie had shared countless times was his girlfriend and best friend. "Tucker?!"

"Danny!" Tucker was shocked, but one glance at Valerie showed she wasn't. In fact, her face seemed to say that she had been waiting for this to happen. The dark skinned man quickly covered himself with the comforter and face his best friend, "Danny, man I am so sorry…she told me you two had been broken up for a while!" Glaring at Valerie, Tucker nevertheless managed to have a look in his eye that Danny hadn't been able to produce for a long time. Valerie took her time adjusting the sheets around her body as she finally sat up and leaned against the headboard, lovingly she caressed Tucker's face before facing her boyfriend.

"Hello Danny, when you didn't show up earlier this morning I figure you'd forgotten all about the brunch. I was going to tell you then, but I guess here is as good a time as any…um, Tucker and I have been seeing each other for…" here she gave her partner in crime a quick glance and nodded, '…six months? Yes, six months. I'm sorry Danny, I never wanted it to end this way but we couldn't help it." She at least had the grace to look embarrassed as she admitted she'd been cheating for half a year. But Danny still looked confused about something.

"Tuck, I thought you were in Japan for an internship?" Tucker seemed to relax with the nickname and squirmed a bit, embarrassed, his glasses still a little crooked in his face as a sheepish smile crossed his face. He lightly shrugged his shoulders, "Well…turned out that they already knew they wanted me for the job and I was only needed to be there for four months instead of six for orientation. I just came back two days ago."

Nodding, Danny suddenly turned his back to them. Still waiting with baited breath for Danny's explosion of rage, Valerie and Tucker didn't move another muscle. What came next was a huge shock to both. Instead of a thunderous rant like they were expecting, soft chuckles, then full blown laughter was heard. Danny's entire body was convulsing from the gales of laughter he simply couldn't keep in any longer. "Hahahahaha…you two…hahahaha…for months….oh that's just too hilarious" Wiping a tear from his eye Danny suddenly stopped laughing. "And perfect."

The next day, Sam Manson was rudely awakened by her heavy curtains being whisked to each side allowing the sun to pour into the room. "AHHH!" Screaming she sat straight up in bed, gasping for air. Hearty chuckles greeted her desperate pants for oxygen.

"FENTON! Try that again and I'll make sure you become full ghost!" Sam desperately rubbed her eyes, she rasped at him, her voice hoarse from sleep and shock. Danny thanked the gods above that he was invisible at that moment; last night apparently Sam had decided to wear only a lacy camisole and boy shorts underwear to bed. Shuddering slightly he also noticed that her lips were rosy and full, in the back of his mind he wondered what she would taste like.

"C'mon Sammy…you said we could hang out today" He pleaded, acutely aware of the breathless quality to his voice as she slowly slipped out of her bed. First one long, slender leg followed swiftly by the other…then her thighs….gulping frantically Danny closed his eyes willing his erection to go down.

"Never…yawn….call me Sammy." Yawning, Sam rose out of her bed brushing her softly waved black hair out of her face as she stretched her arms. Frantic, Danny turned visible, he was now openly staring. Her light purple lace camisole barely reached her belly button and did nothing to hide the generous breasts she had somehow grown into over the years. From there Danny felt his eyes rove downwards, past her toned stomach and the too short (groan) boy shorts and all the way down to her toes. Damnit, he even found her toes to be a turn on. Smirking, Sam finally stopped stretching and glanced at the man in her room, "Like what you see?" She never expected what was next.

Like lightening, Danny took two steps and he was inches away from her. The air felt like it was electrified, goosebumps traveled up and down Sam's body. She was all too conscious of Danny being that close to her and knew if he did anything she would have to reckon with a really pissed Valerie. "Damn him and myself…why the hell do I still have to love him?" Trying to breathe steadily through her nose, Sam smoothly looked up into Danny's face and realized her mistake too late. She wasn't staring into ice cold blue eyes, but burning green.

As though he couldn't possibly wait another second, Danny swooped down and captured her lips with his. Two sensations immediately hit him like a punch in the stomach: one, Sam's mouth was soft as hell and two; he simple couldn't get enough and needed more. Nibbling around the edge of her soft bottom lip, Danny gently moved her backwards so that Sam's knees hit the side of her bed. Danny bit her bottom lip gently, and as Sam gasped in surprise he thrust his tongue into the warm cavern.

A ragged moan found its way from Sam as she finally gave into his kiss. All thoughts left her as she thrust her own tongue in an effort to gain some sort of control. But just as their tongues were battling, Danny gently used his hands to feel and memorize the shape of Sam's body. Finally he came to the conclusion that she had too many clothes on, pulling back slightly Danny couldn't help but grin at the sight before him. Sam was lying on her bed, hair mussed, lips bruised, her entire upper body was flushed and she was breathing heavily. Panting slightly, she lifted her hand and gently traced the outline of Danny's face. "Danny, we can't…what about you and Valerie?"

At that, his grin widened to a full blown smirk. Leaning to the side, propped up by his elbow he gently traced shapes on Sam's stomach as he talked. "Well, it turns out that she and Tucker have been seeing each other for six months now. I walked in on them in the bedroom yesterday at Valerie's after I left you at the park." He laughed gently at the look on Sam's face, "I know, I was shocked too, but it all made sense…for so long I had gotten the feeling she wanted someone else anyway."

Sam lay there for a second, her face scrunched as if thinking. Then suddenly she sat up, just barely missing hitting Danny in the head, shoved him off of her and walked across her bedroom. "How dare you!" Sam shrieked, grabbing her robe and agitatedly tied it tightly across her middle, "How DARE you, floating in here, kissing me like that and then telling me that you were dumped last night. Daniel Fenton I refuse to be anyone's rebound girl, especially yours! So if that's all you want you had better get the hell out of here before I find my combat boots!"

Stunned Danny just stayed slumped on the bed for a moment, "WHAT?! Sam! No! That's not it at all!" He jumped up and ran over to her, "How could you possibly think I would do that to anyone, let alone you?" He grabbed her arms and forced her to look him straight in the eye, "After I caught them I couldn't help but laugh, because I knew that Valerie wasn't who I wanted. She hasn't been in my dreams or my thoughts for months now. Sammy, don't you see?" His eyes, now back to their crystal clear blue, poured into her. It was like ice water was in her system; all she could do was shiver. "D-d-danny, what are you saying?" Unshed tears swam in her eyes, a few leaking and creating tear tracks down her face.

Danny gently wiped the tears from her face, smiled and then softly kissed her. That was all she needed. With a passion she thought had been lost for years, Sam grabbed him and forced him back upon the bed. With a dazed expression on his face, Danny looked up at the violet eyed beauty standing above him, with a grin he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him.

They started kissing softly, gently. As if making up for all the years apart, all the tears, all the pain, all the memories. But soon, Sam slipped her tongue back into Danny's mouth. Moaning desperately, Sam fought with the buttons on his shirt, unable to undo them in her hazy passion. Stunned and completely turned on, Danny quickly grabbed her hands before they tore a hole in his shirt. "Sam, check it out." He grinned and quickly went intangible, leaving his shirt and pants somewhere under Sam's bed. She chuckled, "Thank god for that nifty little power there ghost boy", Danny merely smiled and then in a blink of an eye had flipped them around. Now on top, Danny was going to use it to the best of his advantage.

Slowly, he started making his way down Sam's already writhing body. Moving from her lips to her creamy white neck, he was sucking and biting, marking her as his. Grabbing her hands for a second time, Danny pinned her to the bed as he suckled harder on her pulse point and collarbone. Panting, Sam was frantically trying to wrest her hands back from her lover, unfortunately for her his strength had definitely increased since he was fourteen. She wanted to touch…to taste…to sample her Danny in all his glory. Slowly, and with the reverence of a devout worshipper, Danny gently moved his hands down Sam's torso to the hem of her camisole. Softly, with just the whisper of lace, he pulled it off of her body to take in the entire beauty of her upper body. Suddenly shy, Sam tried to cover herself. She was no virgin, but this was Danny…his every thought mattered to her, what if he didn't like what he saw?

For a third time, Danny held on to her hands. He just could not believe that he had passed on Sam for Valerie. The thought of doing just that seemed blasphemous right now. Where Valerie had been pleasantly filled throughout and curvy in the body, Sam was curvy too, but slender all over…and white…and so, so soft. Danny felt he could just stare at her all day. Her breasts were full and beautiful, tipped with a rosy nipple that made him think of chocolate kisses, they way they were begging to be tasted. Slowly, so as not to scare her, Danny lowered himself and kissed her lips, just tasting the flavor that was purely Sam. He was intoxicated by her, there was no other explanation. While kissing her, his hands were busy gently kneading her breasts and stroking the nipples until they were peaked. Beneath him she was shaking with want, her hands buried in his hair.

From her lips, Danny placed feather light kisses down her neck, leaving soft swipes with his tongue to sooth the bites he had placed earlier. He knew what he wanted, but what did she want? Did she want him too? "Sam…" He mumbled into her skin, going down the pathway that led to her breasts. "Shh…Danny, it's alright…please, I want this…I need….you…" She gasped into the air, and what was all he wanted to hear.

He worked his way around her plump breast, careful not to touch the areola just yet; sucking gently on the underside he could tell that Sam wanted more by the way she was moving and grabbing at him. Finally, he kissed the tip, and suckled her, laving it with his tongue and grazing it with his teeth in ways that made Sam shudder and gasp his name. From the first one, he repeated the affections on its twin before moving even farther down her body. Dipping his tongue into her bellybutton, Danny was hearing sounds from Sam he desperately wanted repeated.

For Sam, it was like she was in heaven. For years she had dreamed Danny doing this and now reality was twenty times better. Once leaving her bellybutton, Danny stopped and gazing at Sam, placed his thumbs on the sides of her panties and gently, tantalizingly, drew them down her legs before tossing them across the room. Giggling slightly, Sam reached for Danny and drew him towards her until she was able to flip him. Now, once again she was on top. Gently making her way down his body, to a part she was most interested in, Sam slid her hand from his shoulder down to the front of his boxers. Shuddering slightly at the feel of her touching him all Danny could do was whisper her name, "Sam." Smiling wickedly, Sam granted his wish. Gently, she drew his boxers down and tossed them in the same direction as her panties. Glancing down she was surprised at how large he really was. Breathing harder now, Sam grasped Danny's length in her hand and started exploring. He was so hot, hard and soft…."Sam!" Came Danny's ragged gasp as she lowered herself farther, tasting him. Gently sucking along his shaft, Sam massaged his balls and licked around the head, tasting the precum. Moving faster now, Sam had a rhythm going, with Danny moaning loudly, his hips moving gently in time with her mouth. Knowing how it would end and not want it all to be over, Danny pulled her up and kissed her hotly on the mouth, before moving himself farther down her person.

Softly massaging her thighs, Danny kissed, licked and nibbled the inside of her thighs before moving higher. Twisting slightly and moaning heavily, Sam desperately wanted him everywhere at once, but one place in particular. Finally, he couldn't help it any longer; soon he was licking and tasting her core, like she was the finest wine he had ever tasted. Lapping harder, Danny quickly turned his attentions to the bud of nerves that seemed desperate for attention. Sam all but launched herself up and off the bed when he touched his tongue to her clit; no man had ever done that before. "Danny…now…please, I need you now…" She was moaning, panting, and twisting heavily…unable to break the beautiful torture. "Danny….oh…yes…please...please...more…HARDER…DON'T STOP!" Bright lights dancing in front of her eyes, and a rushing sound greeted the end of her orgasm. Pleased with her reaction, Danny smirked and then positioned himself finally at her entrance. Pushing slowly, they both groaned at the feeling; pure pleasure.

They gradually built up a rhythm, working faster and harder towards their mutual goal. Once they'd both reached their peaks and were basking in the afterglow, both Sam and Danny knew it was time to talk. Still slightly sweaty, Danny brushed Sam's bangs out of her face. "Sam…", now embarrassed all she could do was blush heavily and as far away as she could with Danny still within her. "Sam, I don't want this to be a one time thing. I didn't come here for a 'Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am' deal. I was an idiot before, I knew deep down how I felt, but I was just too scared to say it. And now before you run away, scared that we've done something stupid just know…I've loved you for years, longer than I ever truly realized. I couldn't live any longer without telling you."

Shocked, flashing violet eyes met ice blue ones. "Finally, O Clueless One gets it!" She smirked, giggling at his shocked facial expression. "Oh Danny, you can't tell me you never realized how much I loved you? I loved you through your parents, my parents, Paulina, Valerie, Tucker and years of ghost fighting. Just know that I have loved you for years and still do." With that she kissed the tip of his nose and smiled at her lover. He grinned, "Well in that case…can I just mention how much I love that you taste like chocolates and wine? In fact I think I need another taste test" And with a growl, he grabbed the laughing Sam and pulled the blankets over them.


	2. You want wha?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own…I am not worthy to own…::bows to bust of Butch Hartman:: Hartman owns all…

Tendrils of early morning sunlight danced across the dark purple carpet, peeking through the curtains, as the sound of muffled footfalls made its way towards the door. In the middle of the room was a large king sized bed covered in black and purple satin sheets, and buried underneath was one large lump.

Shattering the peaceful silence were the resounding THUMP sounds that seemed to grow louder by the minute. Groaning, the lump seemed to move restlessly as if the noises were harmful to its ears. A hesitant knock echoed through the plum drenched chamber, then a blonde head poked through.

"Sammykins? Are you awake dear? Remember you promised your father and I that today you'd join us at one of our functions and I was thinking that beautiful pink silk skirt with the…" Buzzing in through the room like an overgrown and overly blonde gnat, Pamela Manson made her way through her daughter's room keeping up a lively chatter as if it could disperse all the black and dark purple from the surroundings. Looking towards the bed all she could see was a tuft of black hair peaking above the covers, "Well fine dear, if you're going to be rude about waking up on time I suppose you'll need a bit of help." Stalking over to the bed Mrs. Manson grabbed a generous portion of the black down filled comforter before giving it a yank. As it floated towards the ground her shrieks filled the air.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Her voice a few octaves higher than what could be considered her normal tone, all Sam's mother could do was stare goggle eyed at the scene before her. There, in her daughter's amethyst colored Egyptian cotton sheets, was her daughter…and someone else. A certain someone that the Manson's had believed long gone from their daughters, and subsequently their own, life.

Finally awakened by the melodious sounds of her mother's shrill question, Sam raised her head a few inches from the pillow she had made sometime during the night of Danny's arm and after wincing at the harsh light of day, blinked blearily up at the now fuchsia colored face of her mother. "Wha…? Mom, what are you doing in here and why in God's name are you screaming at me at…" a quick glance at the clock forced Sam to swiftly shut her eyes in resignation, "…eight o'clock in the morning?" Obviously there wasn't going to be anymore sleep in her immediate future.

Indignant, all Pamela could do was stare at her wayward daughter, "What am _I_ doing here? _What _am I doing here? I thought I was coming to wake my daughter so that she could come with her father and me to a luncheon today. I never expected to see my only child in bed with…with…THAT boy." She huffed angrily and crossed her arms, "Sam, your father and I do not condone you...fraternizing...with the likes of the Fenton's."

At the sound of his name, a second tousled, black haired head popped up to greet the new day. Raising his arms way above his head in order to stretch, Danny gingerly opened his bright blue eyes to see Sam with a wary look in her eye, he smiled at her tenderly. "Ahem," came the testy good morning, but it wasn't Sam who said it because Danny didn't see her lips moving. Then he froze, thinking he had only dreamed the shrill voice that had ruined his dreams of him, Sam and unspeakably dirty things, but a glance at the foot of the bed and of the five foot nothing blonde woman with her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently punctured any hopes.

"Good morning Mr. Fenton. I see you've enjoyed a long sleep in my daughter's bed with my daughter in it." She all but growled at the young man, who, though he was easily twice her weight and height, couldn't help but shudder at the feral tone. "My husband and I haven't had an opportunity to see much of you and your family lately...pity, I'd hoped that would continue." Sam sat up, first making sure that she was fully covered in some areas and crossed her own arms, "Mom…." She cajoled, looking between her irate mother and her new lover.

"Don't you 'Mom' me Samantha Manson. Now then, I am prepared to overlook this little…indiscretion, as long as it never happens again. You, Mr. Fenton will leave and not return. And Sam, you _will_ get dressed and you _will_ join your father and me for our luncheon this afternoon. Is that clear?" at this Pamela Manson smiled coolly, convinced that she had finally conquered the great Fenton Problem.

Ok, now Sam was pissed. How dare her mother try and tell her who she can and cannot be with? She was 22 for God's sake! Practically shaking with suppressed anger, Sam glanced at Danny to see that sometime during her mother's tirade he had lost the light blue eyes she loved so much and gained the otherworldly neon green eyes of his alter ego. Apparently he was much angrier than his calm and collected countenance gave away. Swallowing thickly, Sam took a deep breath. She was about to strike a blow for over protected daughters over twenty everywhere! "I can't do that Mom."

Stunned, Pamela focused her gaze on her daughter's violet eyes, "I'm sorry dear, I don't believe I heard you correctly."

"I said no." Sam replied firmly, her nervousness coming through by the slight wavering to her voice. Noticing this, Danny reached across the bed covers to gently grasp her hand and gave it a warm squeeze. Sam inwardly smiled as she noticed that when he held her hand her mother's left eye twitched violently.

"Sam, you will do as I say."

"No" Danny had to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress the chuckles that were building as he noticed that the light pink tone of Pamela Manson's face was slowly deepening to that of a crimson.

"Young lady, as long as you live under my roof you will obey my orders." Content that Sam wouldn't even contemplate crossing that line, Pamela turned around and began to walk towards the bedroom door.

Sam smiled, finally. She had what she'd always wanted, a way out. "In that case can I have the newspaper?" With her hand on the doorknob, Pamela paused, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What for Samantha?"

A slight smile began slowly to cross Danny's face, he had an idea where this was going and he wanted to see what would happen. Catching her boyfriend's eye Sam smirked, "I want to take a look at the ads for apartments for rent." Gazing across the room Sam watched as her normally poker straight back of her mother tensed and appeared to straighten even more. Without another comment she opened the door and marched out, all but slamming the door behind her.

Sam let out a large breath she hadn't realize that she'd been holding in while waiting for her mother's reaction. 'I can't believe that just happened" she said, her voice hushed. Danny nodded, "I know," and at that he grabbed Sam and fell back against the pillows cuddling her warm body close.

"Danny!" Sam giggled when she felt his lips move on her neck, "Didn't get enough last night?" He snickered as she flipped them over so that she was on top, stared into his twinkling blue eyes and practically purred, "You, Mr. Fenton, are insatiable." A light moan tore itself from his throat as Sam attacked his neck and collarbone. She then grinned and lifted herself from Danny's warm firm body, running her hand up and down his torso, his face contorted from the light torture she was performing on his poor self, "Too bad I have to go apartment hunting, otherwise I can think of a few things I'd _love_ to be doing right now." At "now" Sam lightly nibbled his right earlobe. Danny gasped; this was unfair.

"Sam…_groan_…if you have to….uhn….be looking for…oooh yeah…an apartment shouldn't we….be going? Danny moaned into his lover's ear as she continued her assault on his neck and jaw line. He was having a hard time restraining himself enough to not flip her over and just turn what was an awkward morning into a much better one for the both of them. Breathless Sam gave him one last kiss and then settled back onto her pillows, cuddling her body as closely into Danny's as she could. Still trembling slightly from the effects of Sam's kisses, Danny tried to calm his raging hormones; this was not the time for nookie.

Sam, watching Danny, noticed a hazy expression enter his eyes and a sly smile cross his face, and grinned in spite of herself. She knew what he was thinking about. Blushing slightly, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she remembered last night. After Danny had shocked her with an early morning wakeup call they had gotten ….reacquainted…for a few hours before going out for dinner at the pizza place in old downtown Amity, then back to her bedroom in order to…er, reacquaint themselves even more. Sam had totally forgotten about her parents, usually they were out of town. It figures that finally when Danny had figured out he was the one for her; the Manson's would figure that it was the perfect day to spend some "quality" time with their only daughter.

Danny, with his eyes shut tight, took one more deep shuddering breath as he squeezed Sam more closely to his side. Why hadn't he done this years ago? He had known that Sam had liked him a little bit in high school of course, he wasn't THAT clueless. Snickering slightly, Danny smiled into his lover's inky hair and began nibbling on her neck again. At her sudden gasp he renewed his attack; 'God, she's hot' was his one thought as he gently slid his right hand down her side and between her thighs. That undid any noble intention of apartment hunting that Sam had been harboring at least for a few hours.

Sorry this took so long and is so short, the hateful combo of mental block and school undid anything I had to work with for a while :-/.


	3. Ghosts and Boytoys

**Disclaimer**: Well ladies and Gents, unfortunately I do not own Danny Phantom….I offered Butch Hartman a pound of cherry starburst but he said he preferred strawberry and I could not bend to the wishes of a strawberry starburst lover.

Standing before Daniel James Fenton was the personification of what he felt must be the tenth circle of hell, you know, the one that Dante forgot to write about. It was such a brown color that it bordered on pepto bismo pink, about the size of a shoe box designed to fit baby booties and seemed to be filled with what the maniacally, perpetually grinning real estate agent loved to call "character." It seemed to Danny that this "character" required the place to be filled with cracks flowing gently up the walls, carpeting that appeared to have not been vacuumed since the Reagan administration and a sink that gasped and gurgled like a dying thing before vomiting up a brown sludgy substance.

"Oh this is just a delightful, cozy lil apartment that was designed for a young couple to just come and shower it with love." Leered Perky Patricia, as Danny was mentally calling her. Gesturing grandly with her clipboard Perky Patricia continued to show off the "cozy apartment, " but as the tour continued on there was a sign of desperation in her eyes that grew progressively worse towards the point that at the end she was practically throwing herself at their mercy. As far as Danny and Sam could figure out this particular listing had been up for quite a while and poor ol' Perky Patty was desperate for the commission. Watching the woman closely Danny couldn't help but empathize, 'Note to self…never become a real estate agent, baaaaaaad. Unless there is good electroshock therapist in town.' To Danny it sure looked like Perky Patty needed a shock or two, once the façade of glee had faded all that was left was what seemed to be chronic nervousness.

Exchanging a look that was an interesting combination of frustration and amusement with Danny, Sam gently placed her hand on Perky Patty's shoulder. "You know…I don't feel like this is the apartment for me. Maybe there are other places we could check out?" Pale and shaking so much that her clipboard was rattling, Perky Patty nodded nevertheless and led the way out the door and down the steps. It wasn't till they had left the apartment that both Danny and Sam let out their collective breathe.

Smiling and waving to Perky Patty as she haphazardly drove away, Sam waited until the station wagon's license plate couldn't be seen any longer before dropping herself onto her car's hood and moaning. With her head between her knees and her hands running through her hair, all Sam could do was shake her head. Leaning gingerly against the passenger side door, Danny waited till she raised her head; after a traumatic incident like that ten to one Sam had something to say. And if Sam spoke, you listened.

Danny grinned inwardly remembering one time when he'd been caught not listening to one of Sam's speeches. He still had the tread mark scar on his thigh from where she had kicked him with her steel toed combat boots. Unconsciously he rubbed the spot as Sam turned towards him. Blinking her large violet eyes at him Sam grimaced, "Remind me again why I'm looking for an apartment with a real estate agent who just makes me feel like I want to beat her with a stick like she was a piñata? Who knows what kind of chocolate-y goodies are hiding in her tissue paper body?"

"Because you don't want to live within the overly repressive tyrannical environment which is your childhood home," chuckled Danny as he moved closer to Sam and began to run his fingers through her hair. A ghost of a smile lingering on her lips Sam leaned into the caress, "Well that might be part of it." They both knew he had left out, "even if it is just for the summer," the idea of leaving right now, after they had finally realized everything seemed like a joke. And it was definitely a joke that Sam could live without knowing the punch line, there were still some things that she had to tell Danny. Hopefully though, they could wait; why ruin a good thing while it's hot? Shaking her head one more time for good measure, Sam stood up and faced Danny.

"Well, we could call Perky Patty and tell her we'd love to see more places today, call up Tuck and Val and see what they're doing," at that Danny looked like he had just inhaled vinegar, Sam laughed, "or not…or we could just play hooky for the rest of the day and hit the Nasty Burger 'cause I'm famished."

Danny crossed his arms and tapped his forefinger against his chin as if in a great internal debate, "When pigs fly to the first, a 'hell no' to the second, and let's get it to go as a picnic to the third. Sound like a deal?" When Sam nodded, he gallantly swept open the passenger side door to his car. His bright blue eyes twinkling he just gazed at her with his hand stretched out towards her, "Milady, your carriage awaits."

Rolling her eyes at his Lancelot act, Sam simply jostled him into the passenger seat, "Nope, I'm driving…when you drive it's like you forget you're on the road instead of in the sky Mr. Phantom." At his outraged "Hey!" Sam simply ignored it by shutting the door and walking over to the driver's side. "Besides," she continued after buckling in and making sure her mirrors were properly positioned, "I love your car." She smirked at Danny as he pretended to huff and pout. As they drove, a comfortable silence descended on the car and its occupants.

Danny really didn't have a problem with Sam driving his baby, besides, he thought she looked sexy handling the steering wheel. And it gave him more time to think, about what they were going to do, about what he wanted, what she might want. And about why there hadn't been a ghost attacks for the past few days.

The last thought was the one that Danny really focused on; he didn't want to get into the heavier stuff until he and Sam were ready to talk about it, not even in his mind. Eyebrows wrinkling in deep thought, Danny concentrated. When was the last time he had seen a ghost even? He knew he was good and that when it got too much Val could pick up the slack, but that wasn't the point. Even on the news there hadn't been any reports of even a little bit of ectoplasm anywhere. As far as Danny knew his parents were even getting a little antsy. His parents…Maddie and Jack Fenton.

Mentally Danny slapped himself. He was in his twenties, an adult by all accounts. And still he couldn't bring himself to tell his parents that he was "Inviso-Bill," the "Ghost Boy," "Danny Phantom." Though how they couldn't see it he had no idea, there had been too many close calls in the past when his parents had almost caught bouts of flight, fighting or even his most tell-tale sign of ghostliness, the glowing green eyes when his temper ran hot. Jazz knew and didn't care, so why did he think that his parents would? Danny knew from the battle with Freakshow that they would understand and still love him, but there was still that niggling lil voice in the back of his head that still shouted words his father once said to Danny Phantom, "Tear you apart molecule by molecule." In all respects not a pleasant way to go really.

Watching Danny secretly from the corner of her eye as she drove, Sam couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her Phantom's head. Was he thinking about them? Only he knew, but she would give anything to know. She loved him, always had, but since trouble followed him like a shark to blood, Sam also knew that nothing between them could ever be easy. Then again, if it's always easy where's the enjoyment of the harder times?

Ripping through the silence came the chorus to "What's This" from Nightmare Before Christmas. Jerked from her thoughts, Sam dug through her purse ignoring the amusing stare from Danny as she searched for her phone. Ok, so she still loved that movie, it was one of her favorite's…how many movies do you know that work for two holidays at the same time? One eye on the road and the other desperately digging through her purse, what in the hell had possessed her to buy such a large one she didn't know; Sam struggled to control the car. Without a word Danny took her purse from her and effortlessly fished the slim flip phone from the side pocket.

"Who's Eddie?" he asked as he glanced at the top screen while passing the phone into her waiting palm. And if Danny didn't know any better or Sam any less, he would have sworn that she froze just a little bit. But why would a phone call from this "Eddie" make her freeze?

'Oh boy…' was the thought that flashed through her mind, "No one…just a friend from college. We lived in the same dorm last year." Glancing at the screen Sam quickly hit a side button that silenced the offending gadget. She would deal with Eddie later when she wasn't with Danny. Not hearing a responding, "Ok" or "unhuh" from Danny she could tell that he realized that she hadn't spilled the entire story. 'Later…we'll talk later.' Sam promised herself as she turned left into the Nasty Burger parking lot.

Halfway across town, a phone similar to Sam's stopped ringing and went to a voicemail, "Hi! You've reached Sam Manson, sorry I'm not here right now but if you leave your name, number and an amusing message I'll call back later." Frustrated, a large hand slammed the phone shut. Hazel eyes gazed out from the windshield of a dark blue Honda Accord, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Sam Manson couldn't ignore him forever. He'd make sure of that. Closing his eyes in thought for a few minutes, Eddie swept his dark hair back away from his face. He'd seen the pictures…how could anyone have missed them walking into Sam's room back at Fordham? Since she was rich enough, her parents had sprung for a private room so that she wouldn't have to mess with the riffraff, so she'd had an entire room to herself to decorate. And how did she choose to decorate? All in early modern childhood; there were pictures of Sam growing up pasted on the walls all around the room which looked at home with all the purple and black. Those pictures had featured Sam in almost all of them, alongside two boys. One who seemed to be a quirky African-American that Sam had claimed was named Tucker…poor kid. And the other…the other was a handsome, black haired; cerulean eyed male named Danny who Sam said was "only a friend." But Eddie knew better. There was something in her voice, in her eyes and her in body language that screamed her real emotions. He'd known then really, the entire time. He just hadn't wanted to admit the truth; denial was so much easier on the heart and the head. That he was simply a replacement for this Danny character. Edward Haverstein III was no one's replacement.

Opening wide his darkening hazel eyes, Eddie realized he knew what he had to do. Picking up his abused cell phone, Eddie scrolled through the numbers listed as he turned on the engine. "Where is that blasted…" he mumbled to himself, "Ah…there we go." Happy with his find, he pressed the call button. When it picked up, immediately he became all business, "Yes, hello there. This is Edward Haverstein III and I…oh, yes that's perfect thank you." Being transferred was frustrating, Eddie impatiently tapped his thumb against the curve of the steering wheel before shifting the car into reverse and backing out of his parking space. Straightening out, Eddie quickly shifted into drive and moved the car forward towards the main road. "I'm sorry say that again?" quickly the majority of his attention was placed on the call as his transfer went through, "Oh yes. See there is a slight problem with a rather persistent termite and I need to clean house…unhuh…yes, that's what I thought you'd say. I'm glad we could do business together; my father always speaks so highly of you. Good day sir and don't worry you'll be paid half within the hour." Hanging up, a leer laced the edges of his lips as Eddie swiftly merged into traffic. His problem would be taken care of within the next day or so.

Laughing wholeheartedly Sam ate the last bite of her tofu melt from the Nasty Burger as Danny finished telling her about a fight between him and the Box Ghost when he had accidently wrapped the bubble wrap of doom around his throat and it had begun to choke him before Danny took pity and cut through it with an ecto blast. Shaking his head, Danny couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him, "And afterwards he still tried to attack me…I really don't think he'll ever get it, do you? I'd feel worse about it if he wasn't so damn annoying." Still sniggering to herself, Sam picked up the burger wrappers and threw them into a bag they had brought before stretching herself out on the blanket Danny had in the trunk of his car. Raising her hands far above her head, Sam looked at Danny only to see him staring at her intently. Smirking softly, Sam extended her legs in order to stretch them as well, watching Danny's gaze as it traveled up and down her body in appreciation. She could definitely get used to this.

When Danny's eyes flickered to florescent green Sam knew he was almost at his breaking point. 'Let's see how good his patience is' was her mischievous thought before she twisted around and laid her head in Danny's lap. If the sudden tensing of his muscles told her anything he was more affected by her action than he was letting on…'Oh he's good…' Sam thought appreciatively.

Sitting stiffly, Danny swallowed thickly. Did she know what she was doing to him? Was she doing it on purpose? Here, in the public park? It was summer, there were little kids everywhere! In fact there was a little girl sitting not twenty feet away from them with her mother and she was staring at them avidly. But when Sam snaked her hands up Danny's thighs allowing her thumbs to caress his inner thighs, growing closer to a…ahem…certain part of his anatomy, Danny could no longer deny that she was doing all this on purpose. 'Vixen' was his single thought before he disengaged her hands before they came to a part of him that was obviously in desperate need of some attention.

"Sam….Sam, c'mon…" he murmured hoarsely, bending down so that the mothers and kids around them couldn't tell what they were doing. To the nosy parents lingering around the lively young couple it just looked like they were engaged in a simple session of whispering sweet nothings, "this isn't a good place to do this." Sam simply lowered her eyelashes and kissed his inner thigh through his jeans, for which she was rewarded with a sudden tightening of his grip on her arms and a muffled groan that burst from his throat.

Mustering his control from wherever he could, Danny slowly lifted Sam so that she was now on her knees between his legs and staring directly into his eyes. He forced himself to control his urges as he lifted his hand to pull a blade of grass from her misshapen ponytail. All he really wanted to do was to take her, here and now in the middle of the park. Which actually gave him a good idea, but he'd file that away for a later date when there weren't any screaming toddlers and reproving matrons to glare at them. But even with all his control he couldn't help cupping her face in his hand and leaving a lingering kiss that was full of promise on her lips. "Sam, let's get out of here and we can continue this at my place." The breath torn out of her with that kiss, all Sam could do was nod and grab the hand he offered as he pulled her to her feet. Pulling her close to him, all Danny could think about was how easy it could be to just change into his alter ego and fly to his apartment. Silently damning all kids and their parents on a sunny Saturday afternoon in the park, Danny gripped Sam's hand tightly in his as she swooped the blanket and the garbage in her other. Together they all but raced to the car in an effort not to traumatize the denizens of Amityville Park, animals and humans alike.

Sitting on a bench about twenty feet away from where Danny and Sam had had their picnic, the sun glinted off of the lens of a camera as a woman stood up, slid her digital camera into her front pocket and picked up the amazingly child like mannequin from beside her bench. Finished gathering her things, the woman swiftly strode towards where her target had ran. This was an important job and one that she would be paid for amply when completed.

This time, Danny practically shoved Sam into the passenger side seat. He wanted to get home and knew that Sam would drive practically, aka slowly. Though the way she was looking at him she knew what he was about and was more than happy to let him nearly kill them if it meant having Danny all to herself for the rest of the day…and night.

When they arrived at Danny's apartment Sam's throat was hoarse from screaming, unfortunately it wasn't the kind of screaming she would have preferred. There were actually a few times on the road where Danny had to turn the car and them with it intangible in order to avoid hitting another car, a pedestrian or even at one point a frog that had strangely decided that practicing its Frogger technique in the middle of the day was a good idea.

Wearily Sam opened her door and forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She may have still been horny but that doesn't mean a non sex related adrenaline rush couldn't make her tired. Standing up and looking across the roof of the car Sam waited for Danny to get out, "You just haaaaaad to drive didn't you? I think that last turn we took broke the sound barrier by the way."

Danny wasn't tired at all; his adrenaline rush was still coursing through his veins. "Aw c'mon Sammy, no one was hurt! And we got here in record time!" He grinned at her, blue eyes twinkling; he knew she could never stay mad at him for long. Crossing her arms, Sam gave Danny the Look before her face broke out into a smile. "God, I hate you" she laughed, "I can never stay mad at you long enough for the Look to actually work."

Still smiling, Danny's grin took on a decidedly more sultry tone. "Well…how about we try a different Look then?" With her arms still crossed, Sam cocked her head to the side and gazed at him, "Oh? And what, Mr. Fenton, did you have in mind?" Before the words had even left her mouth, Danny was in front of her having turned intangible and passing through the car, gently stroking her left arm up and down Danny murmured, "Just a few ideas that were percolating in my brain on the drive here."

"Danny!" whispered Sam shocked, "What if someone had seen you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Danny gave a lopsided smile, "I checked, there's no one out here and besides it was quick." His smile swiftly turned into a wince as Sam whacked his shoulder.

"You idiot, that doesn't matter! Since when does Danny Phantom not care about…" But Sam never got a chance to finish her tirade because the next thing she knew her mouth that had been busy berating Danny was covered by a pair of rather insistent lips. Caught off guard, it didn't take long for Sam to quickly pick up the slack. Moving her lips raggedly across his, the desire she thought had been killed off by the death drive shifted from simmering under the surface to full blown.

If Danny was surprised by the change in force of the kiss he didn't show it, instead jumped it up a notch. Tearing himself away from her lips, he skated his tongue down the long column of her neck leaving biting little kisses the whole way. And from the way Sam was making noises it seemed as if she didn't have a problem with this change in tactics.

Gasping to the sky, as if in an effort to regain the ability to think all Sam could understand was that PDA in the middle of the day along a residential street did not make one popular with the neighbors. "D-d-danny…we…we have to go…_sigh_…inside." He pulled away and grinned at her, she didn't realize it but she was softly leaning inwards; she missed the contact. Moving slowly to her earlobe, Danny took the opportunity to give it a little nibble, "In that case, let me give you the tour" he whispered huskily. Grabbing her hand, Danny moved them into the hallway of his ground floor apartment.

Sam was still a bit dazed by Danny's ministrations only a few minutes ago, but even clouded with desire as she was there was no way she could have missed the distinct signs of female habitation. The place was dusted, didn't smell like old gym socks, and actually had a pillow or two on the couch in the living room as far as she could tell from the two second glance she caught before being hauled farther down the hall. 'Must have been Val…I didn't know that she and Danny had lived together while they were dating.' With that thought it struck Sam how odd it was that here she was, about to have sex with Danny Fenton in the same apartment, no…strike that, the same BED that he and Valerie had sex in while they were together.

'Ok, Sam don't think those thoughts…they're not good, besides, Danny's here with you now isn't he? And Val's with Tucker, like life should be. Don't think about Val running her hands all over _YOUR_ Danny.' Unfortunately this little mental pep talk didn't do much good, all it did was make Sam want to force every possibly thought of Val out of Danny's head. And right now? The best option for that was pure, full throttle, core invading sex. Suddenly deciding that Danny wasn't moving fast enough for her, Sam took the lead and charged ahead down the hallway towards the bedroom. She'd only been here once or twice including the day that she, Tucker and Val had helped Danny move in so she had an idea of where the bedroom was. When she opened the second door to the left and saw the bed and the desk with a miniature model of a spaceship Sam knew she had struck gold, 'Jackpot' she thought with a devilish smile. The softly fading sunlight was shining through the partially opened blinds, but it gave enough light for Sam to find her way around, so she maneuvered Danny to the bed before pushing him on top of it.

His eyes lighting up, Danny fought the urge to grab her to him. He wanted to see what she would do now that he was "at her mercy" so to speak. So instead he simply crossed his hands behind his head and smirked at her, his entire attitude seemed to say 'Whatcha gonna do now Sam Manson?'

Inwardly she matched his smirk, 'I'm gonna do you Danny Fenton.' With that thought, Sam tugged off her sweatshirt revealing a black camisole that only had purple vines crawling up the side, curving tantalizingly just underneath her right breast. Releasing her hair from the confines of the failing pony tail, Sam shook her head allowing the heat curled ends to fall around her pale shoulders. From the slack jawed look on Danny's face, Sam would venture to say that there weren't any thoughts of Val running through his head right now. But it was the glimmer of want floating just beneath the surface that dragged up Sam's inner seductress. Crawling slowly across the dark blue comforter, Sam placed herself gently over Danny's midsection. The bright blue of his eyes by this point had darkened to that of a deep sapphire, his hands were itching to touch every inch of her softly curved body but he curbed the impulse at the very last moment. Last night he had seduced her, tonight it was her turn.

Sitting very straight on top of Danny, Sam didn't do anything first. She was just enjoying the feel of having Daniel Fenton underneath her, feeling him pressed against her in a totally intimate way. She had never thought they'd be here, at this point. All her fantasies over the years never prepared her for the honest truth. That no matter how good the fantasy was, reality was that good and about ten times better. Slowly, Sam laid her hands on Danny's chest. He definitely had developed a broad chest over the years. Softly she moved her hands around just touching, memorizing the feel of him. But the only thing she could really feel at the moment was the cotton of his dark green t-shirt.

Placing her hands just beneath his shirt, Sam enjoyed the feel of Danny's stomach muscles contracting at her touch. The power that came from the knowledge that every reaction was because of her was almost intoxicating. Glancing at his face, Sam noted that there lines around his mouth and eyes from tension. Giving him a slightly naughty smile, Sam moved her hands upwards, gently tugging at the shirt in order to get it off. The shirt finally off, Danny continued to stare at Sam as if he had never truly seen her before. Sure he had seen her act seductive, flirt, and even giggle once…though he had never told her that, she could have made sure there could never be any little Fenton's running around in the future if that had happened; but this was not an act, it was natural, almost like an extension of Sam herself.

Making sure that she had caught his eye, Sam kept eye contact as she gently lowered her upper body onto his. Soon though the tension grew too much for Danny and he had to groan, if she did this too many times in the future he wouldn't last that was for sure. Still looking at his face, Sam gently kissed his chest. Starting with the collarbone and working her way down, she wrenched from her lover gasps, sighs and the occasional moan; it was enough to make a girl smug. Knowing that sooner or later it would be her turn only made Sam shiver with, as Tim Curry said in her favorite movie, "antici………………..pation." Soon though, Sam ran out of the hard planes of Danny's chest and met with the resistance of his belt and jeans. Grinning, Sam quickly undid the jeans and simply unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, she didn't remove them. Instead what she removed was her camisole, causing Danny's eyes to gleam with appreciation. She had "forgotten" to wear a bra today. Luckily she also was wearing a skirt, which had made it a nightmare at the park, for some reason the weather gods had decided to make today windy, but had made Danny very happy at the sight of her long legs.

Legs which he was currently running his hands up and down on; Danny had conveniently forgotten his self made promise to only look and not touch at the sight of her camisole free torso and chest. Though when those same hands began to wander upwards, they were rewarded with sharp little taps by Sam. She was in charge this time and wanted to make sure that he remembered that fact. He only grinned and gripped her hips, at the same moving his upwards that she might understand her affect...fully. At this movement Sam had to close her eyes and softly gasp, he had no idea the amount of will it took to simply take him now.

Without a word, Sam stood up and moved off of the bed. Stunned and disappointed Danny reached for her, "Sam, what are you..." anything else he might have said afterwards was soon dispelled by the sight of Sam without her skirt and underwear. Underwear that given a second glance was really more than just a ribbon of lace, the very thought of what it had been covering made Danny even more uncomfortably hard, almost to the point of desperation. When he caught sight of her smoldering eyes and pout, Danny swiftly tore off his shoes, jeans and underwear. Sam laughed at his eagerness and evaded Danny's reach when he made to get off the bed, "I don't think so Fenton, I'm not sure you've earned your reward yet." She stood by the door, running her right hand up and down her side, enjoying the awed expression that was present in his eyes. When he leaned backwards on the bed again, she slowly moved towards him, "Do you want me?" He nodded so quickly it looked like he was watching the washer and dryer at the Laundromat downtown. "Good, 'cause I want you too, and I want to know that I'm the only one in your head tonight." And with that she moved so quickly that Danny, for all his ghostly enhanced senses, could barely track her movements. With his back flush against the bed, Danny braced himself for the feel of Sam against his skin, but whatever resistance he had tried to build up didn't work.

At the first touch of slightly chilled skin against smoothly, softened skin Danny and Sam both let out simultaneous groans. She was once again sitting on his midsection, his erection firm against her inner thigh. All it would take would be one sure movement and both of their dreams would come true. At this point, Sam was so far gone that she never realized that the reason for her moans was Danny. He had finally taken advantage of her position to allow himself to touch her…and stroke her… and caress her. Only when Sam began to thrash around in unsatisfied passion did he slip on a condom and bury himself deep within her. At once, the fire that had been growing within them burned brighter, demanding that Danny thrust up his hips and for Sam to grind against him. Danny wanted to go slowly, but the first time Sam's wall muscles flexed on him he lost any shred of control he'd had to begin with.

Hips pumping frantically against one another in a desperate attempt to become one, Sam forgot who she was, all she wanted as for this torture to end and yet at the same time to continue on forever. She was moaning and gasping each time he hit the right spot, it was as if they had been designed for one another. Danny couldn't help but moan as Sam raked her short, stubby nails up and down his back, through his hair and finally settling on clutching his ass. Desperate to be closer to Danny, always closer, Sam kissed him with the all the remaining passion she had. It was enough to do Danny in, but he first wanted to make sure that Sam came.

Reaching down between them, Danny rubbed that special spot just the right way; it was enough to shove Sam from the brink of an orgasm over the edge, screaming from the rush. With one final thrust, Danny was there as well, clutching Sam to him his heart in an effort to not lose the feeling so soon. Out of breathe and more wobbly than a well cooked noodle all Danny could do was hold Sam close to his body. This was what he really wanted, to know that Sam was in his bed, with him. He'd trade all the ghost powers in the world to keep this feeling forever.

Shocked with such a realization, Danny felt his heart stop beating for a second. He knew he loved Sam, but he hadn't realized the depths of that love. Swallowing his heart back down to where it belonged, he knew what he really wanted now. Pulling Sam in more closely to his body, Danny gently played with her hair as she sighed deeply.

As for Sam she had never felt happier, this is what she wanted. Not any of those short stints with the guys she'd dated in college, not even the one night flings with the Danny look alikes in an effort to get him out of her mind. After this, not even Eddie could bring her down from such a natural high. She was on the brink of falling asleep when she heard Danny call her name.

"Sam?"

"Hmmm?" Sam mumbled as she tried to bury herself deeper into the bed, but since she was snuggled into Danny it didn't much good, "What is it?"

Danny gulped, did he want to do this? Glancing down at the ebony haired girl in his arms his heart made the decision for him, "Um…I was wondering…since we couldn't really find a good enough apartment today….and since neither one of us really wants to deal with Perky Patty again…."

Sam sighed, Danny was flustered about something, which on a normal day was as cute as you can get but when you're half asleep from coital exercises it can be sort of aggravating. "Yeah, Danny? What…I should find a new agent? I agree, I wonder if I can talk to a few people that I know and see if they can help me. I'll try and call _tomorrow_."

Boy was she going to make this tough on him, "No Sam, I was wondering if maybe…you'd want to move in here…with me…I mean, live with me. You know, just until you find some place or whatever." He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, he didn't want to see her face when she realized that the last thing she'd ever want is to live on the same road as him let alone in the same apartment.

Ok, now she was awake. "Huh? You want me to live with you here?" Sam exclaimed, shocked to her core. She knew they had something but it had only been two days…wasn't that too soon? Then again, before they were lovers they were friends and didn't that count for something? The sight of Danny cringing just made her smile and stroke his face, causing him to look at her, "Danny, I'd love to live with you, as long as you're sure it's what you want." At this a cherubic smile lit Danny's face as he hugged Sam to his body and kissed her deeply.

Later on that night, in the downtown Amityville area, Eddie was sitting at a bar leering at the beautiful brunette before him. She was definitely his prize tonight. Looking across the gyrating dance floor though, he noticed a nondescript blonde woman in the corner. Gazing at his one night fling, Eddie grasped her hand and kissed it gallantly, "Rhonda, you're a beautiful woman. Now, I have some business to attend to, but if you'd please wait for me I'll be quick. Just go outside to the limo, my driver will let you in and then the fun can really begin." With a wink and a slightly rough smack on the ass, she flipped her hair and walked in the direction of the club entrance with no more than the thought of champagne and caviar to fill her head. Dropping his seductive grin, Eddie made his way towards the darkened corner.

"You're late"

At the notice, the woman glanced up. Nothing much to look at in a single glance; it takes the second glance to notice her pale, silvery eyes. It was as if she were a ghost. "You were preoccupied." She nodded in the direction the brunette.

"Don't make excuses; I don't pay you enough for them."

"You haven't paid me enough yet, so I'll make excuses where I see fit. Now then, do you want the goods or not?" She slipped a filled manila envelope onto the slightly sticky table. Suddenly greedy and all thoughts of professionalism forgotten, he gripped the envelope and ripped it open only to see the woman he wanted locked in a passionate embrace. It was the man, the man she was with…it was him. "You're sure this is the right guy? He looks different than in the other pictures she has of him." She nodded and then graced him with a small grin as he slipped her a large wad of bills. "Any other information?"

"Yeah, she moved out, she doesn't live with her parents anymore."

Eddie shuffled through the pictures till he saw one of Sam straddling the man on top of a dark blue bedspread, she was shirtless. "How did you come across these photos?"

"The blinds were open enough for me to take them, they never noticed…too wrapped up in each other." Obviously that was not the information he really wanted to hear, his eyes suddenly took on a murderous light.

"If she doesn't live with the Mansons, then where does she live now?" he all but growled at her as she fumbled with the bills in her hand.

"With him." At once she was gasping for air, his large hand wrapped around her neck slowly wresting life from her body.

He wasn't looking at her, but at the door as his grip slowly tightened. "Good, good…it'll make her all the more vulnerable when he is no longer there, at least not physically." Glancing down though at the stack of photos, one in particular caught his eye. "How did he do this trick?" Looking at his partner, Eddie smiled as if he had suddenly realized he was choking her, "Oh, my dear I'm so sorry I quite forgot my strength. Now, this picture with the man walking towards her through a car, I'm assuming it was the angle it was shot?" At her shake of the head, he became perplexed, "Really….interesting. I feel this requires more reconnaissance." At her frightened expression, he chuckled, "Oh no…not you. I need someone competent. And I know just where to find him. Try and get the job done though, just in case and contact me when it fails."

As she struggled to run out the door, the glimmer of a smile lurked within Eddie's eye as he lit a cigarette and pulled on it. Cruising his way through the crush of the crowd, he made his way to his limo and disappeared into the night.


	4. Sporks and Bozo the Clown

Disclaimer- I don't own squat, Danny Phantom is NOT mine. All i own is the product of my own warped imagination.

The sun already well past the midday point, but that didn't stop the actions of four people hastily moving boxes and other sundry items from one of the larger homes in Amityville. It had take one phone call and hours of begging before Sam allowed Tucker and Valerie to help her move out. She was still pissed at them for what they did to Danny, Danny just thought it was the greatest joke of the year. Sam could tell everytime he was reminded of it because he would suddenly giggle like a six year old school girl, complete with pigtails and lollipop. They were blissfully happy together, but Sam knew something was going to happen. It was Murphy's Law afterall, and as the patron saint of unadulterated trouble, Murphy had it out for happy and depressed people alike. He was the original equal opportunitist. Course that hadn't stopped her from manhandling her friends into shifting her junk around.

"Oomph!" grunted Sam as she hefted one of the larger boxes into her arms. Then turning around she tried to blindly find her way out of the room and down the stairs to the moving van waiting below. Dropping it off with the others crowding the van, she turned around and, resting her hands on her aching lower back, Sam studied the house of domestic horrors she had been a prisoner of for her whole life.

Nothing had changed in all the years the Manson's had lived there. It was still austere. Cold. Unwelcoming. And a blatant indication of unbelievable wealth; in short, to Sam, it was scarier than all the horror flicks she had ever watched growing up. It was lucky that her parents had been forced to make an emergency business trip out of the country, otherwise they never would have been able to get her moved out and into Danny's.

Standing there, facing the front of the house, Sam watched as Danny and Tucker struggled to make it down the front steps with her favorite chair. Smirking, she could hear them curse the comfy recliner to hell and beyond, from her vantage point. Apparently Tucker was pissed at Danny because he hadn't thought of using ghost powers to move it out of the house.

Crawling into the back of the van, Sam carefully moved around her stuff so there would be room for the chair. Glancing around the side she caught Danny and Tuck lounging on the stoop talking and laughing with the chair being used as a twisted version of a rocking horse. "Hey you two!" she called, jumping out and striding towards them, "let's get this junk out of here! I want to get out of this place by tonight."

Standing to attention, Danny grinned boyishly and saluted her, "Ja, Commandant Manson." Rolling her eyes, she cuffed him lightly on the shoulder as Tucker chuckled.

"Finally, ya know, I was wondering if you two were ever going to figure it out." He wriggled his eyebrows in their direction as he grabbed the top half of the chair and tilted it towards him. Catching Sam's confused glance, Danny grabbed the lower half of the chair and together they moved slowly towards the van.

"Whatcha talking about Tuck?"

Grunting, together Danny and Tucker shoved the chair deep into the van. Facing Danny and Sam, he wiped his brow and stared at them, an odd expression on his own face. "Are you serious?" he demanded, "How the hell can you NOT know that you two have been crazy about each other for years?"

Standing in between both men, Sam stared up at Tucker with her hands on her hips and a fierce light in her eye, "I have no idea what in the world your insinuating _Tuckard_." Behind her, Danny stared at Tucker with a mixed expression on his face; it looked like he either was dying to laugh or choke on something.

Pleadingly, Tucker raised his hands in the air and nervously eyed her, "C'mon Sam, you're moving out of your house and into Danny's apartment."

"Yeah, because my parents are freaking idiots. You know that Tuck."

Tossing a thumb over his shoulder towards the house, Danny began to slowly back away, "Um, I'm just going to go and get some more stuff…yeah, be right back." Watching as he jogged into the empty house, Sam glared at his back. _Coward._ But she couldn't blame Danny. His face was too open and showed his emotions too well. And it was really kind of early for everyone to know about them just yet. Especially Tucker, since it was just a week ago that he was found in bed with Danny's ex-girlfriend.

Who was just now walking out of the front door and towards Tucker and Sam, in her arms a tray covered in tall lemonade filled glasses and sandwiches. Setting the tray on a couple of boxes beside the van, Valerie glanced between her lover and Sam, "Um, anyone wanna tell me why Danny was running back inside like he had a ghost riding his ass?"

Tucker walked over to Valerie and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, "Because he and Sam don't want to admit that their together." He remarked, as he watched Sam closely for a reaction.

"Sure we're together…as friends, Tuck. Remember that? We're best friends? He's just helping me out until-"

Shaking his head over the denial, Tucker stared at her in disbelief, "Sam, I'm not stupid. Hell, I was just signed onto a major tech corporation with a six figure salary! We heard you two last night." Sniggering lightly, Valerie tucked her head into her boyfriend's shoulder, but Sam could still see her shoulders shuddering with barely suppressed mirth. _Red leathered harlot._

Staring at him hard, Sam dared him to say anything, "I have no idea what you mean Foley."

Pushing lightly away from Tucker, Valerie crossed her arms in front of her chest and smirked at the much shorter woman, "Oh give us a break Manson. We've known that you've had a thing for Danny since high school. Everyone knew. Besides," she laughed out loud at Sam as she continued," last night you two seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. Tucker and I came over to Danny's because we felt we needed to talk, to make sure that everything was alright between us." She paused and watched as Sam blushed a deep pink color, "Yeah, figured you'd know what we were talking about." Clasping her hands together, Valerie moved from side to side slowly moaning lightly in an obvious imitation of Sam, "Oh Danny, yes….please…" She let out a final breathy sigh before kissing Tucker hotly on the mouth and then making her way back inside. But not before she stood in the doorway, glanced back at Sam and let out a barking laugh as she walked into the entry way.

Sam was at a loss for words. With a thud she sat heavily down on the back fender of the van and stared at Tucker in shock. "You…heard? Us?" her voice rasped in shock, her amethyst eyes wide as she tried to take in the news. They thought they had been so careful. Only her parents knew, which was an accident, of course, but God knows they weren't going to tell anyone. They were too embarrassed that their precious daughter had been found canoodling with the Fenton boy.

Embarrassed, Tucker gazed avidly at the ground and kicked at the dirt, not wanting to see the mortification and shock in Sam's eyes. "It was kinda hard to ignore to be honest." He mumbled quietly as Danny stumbled out of the house, Valerie hot on his heels.

One glance between Sam and Tucker told him something was wrong, running up to Sam he sat beside her and grabbed her hand in his, "Sam? Tuck what'd you do?" Catching Sam's eye, Danny saw that her eyes were glazed over and staring unseeingly before her at the ground.

Sauntering over, Valerie stood beside Tucker, facing Danny and Sam, "Oh, I don't think it's anything _he's_ done Danny. The next time you and Sam have your lil 'fun time,' try and remember, the walls are thin and your blinds are open." Smoothly, she wrapped her arms around Tucker's waist and eyed Danny appreciatively, "Though, you have been working out lately haven't you?" Glaring at Valerie, Tucker clasped her closer to his side while Danny rolled his eyes.

"Get over yourself Valerie." Scooting closer to Sam, Danny shifted to bring her cold body close to him, and glared at his best friend and ex-girlfriend, "Why were you looking in my bedroom anyways yesterday?"

"We just wanted to talk, ok Danny?" Tucker sighed at the anger in his friend's eyes, "We both felt bad about this past week and wanted to makes sure everything was alright between us." Nodding in understand, Sam stood up and retrieved the uneaten sandwiches and drinks. This was something Danny, Tucker and Valerie had to discuss, alone.

Watching Sam navigate her way around the boxes littering her front yard, Danny waited till the door was shut behind her before focusing on the couple before him fully. "Fine, you wanted to talk? That's great. But ya coulda called Tuck." Danny grumbled, rumpling his hair in exasperation, "Doesn't matter if Sam was over or not. What if I didn't want to talk to you?"

Frustrated, Tucker threw his hands up in the air and shouted at his oldest friend, "I know that now, alright? Damnit…you two could have told me you know!" He went silent and then continued more calmly, "I've been waiting to hear that you were together for years. Hell, it took you long enough to realize that Sam was a girl." He chuckled at the memory of a misplaced tampon in junior year.

Danny knew exactly what memory was running through Tucker's head at the moment and slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand, Danny growled at him, "How the hell was I supposed to know that girls use those things for that…I just thought it was great to stop nosebleeds after…you know." His blush went straight to his roots.

Valerie studied him quietly before speaking up, "Outside of ancient history, Danny, Tucker and I were worried. You took the news so well when you found us together, we were worried that you were…ya know, pining or something."

Again, Danny rolled his eyes, only this time Tucker joined in. "Val, I know you have a healthy ego. That's great, but curb it a bit will ya?" Danny said to her as she huffed and glared at him. "For your information, the next day I went and saw Sam. We've been together since."

Obviously relieved, Tucker released a breath of air he hadn't known he'd been holding. Smiling, he clapped Danny on the shoulder, "That's great! I've been worried about Sam really for the past year or so, it's about time you figured things out." Beside him, Valerie pasted on a thin smile and nodded sharply in agreement.

But something had caught Danny's attention, "Worried?" Eyeing the couple before him, there was no way Danny could have missed the unspoken message that passed between them. Giving Tucker a quick peck on the cheek and sending a nod Danny's way, Valerie once again made her way into the house.

Glancing around quickly, Tucker moved next to Danny and sat down just inside the back of the truck next to him. There was a definite feeling of nervousness around him; Danny hadn't been Tucker's friend for so long that he couldn't tell when the man was quaking in his expensive shoes. He was rubbing his thighs in quick sharp movements that belied his wish to be up and pacing back and forth, which Danny knew was Tucker's trademark nervous gesture outside of yelling hysterically.

Staring at the ground between his feet, Tucker spoke to Danny in a low voice, "If I tell you, will you not spill to your muffin cake that I opened this can of worms?"

Confused, Danny just sat there watching Tucker, "Can of worms? And Tuck you know Sam would kill anyone who called her muffin cake. But what's wrong with her? Why didn't she tell me?"

Danny could hear Tucker breathing heavily beside him, as if weighing his words. When he spoke it was haltingly, "It was…hard, for Sam after high school Danny. At first anyways. Then she started dating, and things got better. But they were always the same type of guy. Tall, dark, messy hair…get the picture?"

"She was trying to-"

"-Get you out of her head. She knew you were dating Valerie for all those years, and thought that if you knew the truth you wouldn't want her." Placing his hand on Danny's shoulder, Tucker gestured to the bay window in the kitchen where they could both see a slim figure watching them.

Smiling slightly, Danny waved to her as he spoke to Tucker from the side of his mouth, "Fine. I was an idiot, I know that now. But Sam dating is not exactly a 'can of worms' Tuck, what's the real issue?"

Waving at Sam in synch with Danny, Tucker continued his story, "The issue didn't happen till this past year. Sam met someone, she told me that she thought he was 'the one' since you obviously didn't think she was alive. Apparently his name was Eddie or something. Real big shot on campus and off, apparently his daddy is loaded."

Wrapping his arms closely around him as an evening breeze wafting through the neighborhood, Danny couldn't help but feel that the name Eddie rang a bell somewhere. "This guy sounds like a prince. What was wrong?" It was growing steadily dark by the second, they had been talking for too long and the sun had been setting for the past few minutes.

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, Tucker watched the house as the lights inside lit up. "Danny, Sam may have been trying to forget you in her heart, but we're still her best friends. What do you think went wrong?"

"I dunno." Danny shrugged, "If I'd been with Sam-"

"But that's the point you idiot! You weren't with Sam. But she desperately wanted to be with you, she tried to _replace_ her dream Danny with someone real. Someone, who apparently had a temper when he didn't get his way."

Suddenly, the temperature was freezing; clad only in jeans and a light t-shirt Tucker had to wrap his arms more tightly against his body against the cold. Glancing at his friend, he could see that Danny's eyes were now flashing a vibrant green and a snarl was dancing across his lips.

"He hit her." Tucker shivered again, but this time it was because of the subzero tone in Danny's voice. He had never heard that particular pitch, not even the time Prince Aragon had captured Sam to make her his bride. For once, Tucker was truly afraid of Danny and what he could possibly do.

Desperate to calm Danny down, Tucker told him the truth, "I don't know. You'd have to ask Sam that. Hell, she should have told you all of this in the first place." He shook his head sadly, "All I know is that one day she was saying he was 'the one,' the next day she was moving into a house off campus. Remember when she had to change her cell number? What'd she tell you the reason was?"

Voice suddenly hoarse, Danny had to swallow a few times before he was able to speak, "That she'd dropped it in the toilet by accident and needed to get a new phone and they wouldn't let her keep her old number." The idea that Sam had been dating someone who…no, the thought was ridiculous! His Sam wouldn't date some jackass like that! Why hadn't she told him? Stifling the tears that wanted to leak from his now blue eyes, Danny stood up and motioned for Tucker to join him, "Thanks Tuck. But I think Sam and I need to talk about the rest."

Later on that night, after they had finished moving the rest of Sam's things from the Manson home and into Danny's apartment, Sam and Danny said goodbye to Tucker, Valerie having vanished some hours ago for a ghost sighting. By this time night had completely fallen and outside you could only see from the streetlights and the distant stars overhead.

After shutting the door behind Tucker, Sam fell into her recliner and closed her eyes, exhausted from the day of moving. Unfortunately there were still boxes everywhere, but they could be taken care of tomorrow while Danny was at work.

Her eyes still shut tightly; Sam could hear Danny walk across the apartment to the kitchen. A minute later the sound of the sink being used drifted into the living room. Halfway asleep, Sam vaguely heard footsteps make their way again to the living room before she felt herself being gently lifted and then the familiar sensation of being carried took over. Sam knew that Danny thought she was asleep, that had to be the only reason why, when he placed her carefully on the bed he had kissed her forehead and then mumbled something about Eddie. He said it too low for her to pick up clearly, but Sam knew who she had to blame. _DAMNIT TUCKER_, was her last thought before Morpheus claimed her as a victim.

When Sam awoke, the first thing that assaulted her eyes was the bright sunlight shining in through one of the windows in the room.

"Shit!" Sitting up slowly, Sam rubbed her forehead. Sometime between last night and this morning her allergies had decided to kick in with a vengeance. Looking around she noticed that she was alone in bed; a single glance at the alarm clock told her that Danny couldn't be at work just yet. Flinging her covers aside, Sam jumped up and walked towards the kitchen.

Leaning against the doorway, Sam watched Danny as he made his usual morning breakfast fare; a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jelly. What caught her attention was that he was singing softly under his breath and swinging his hips in a manner that could put Shakira to shame. Stifling a chuckle at his expense, Sam stuffed her fist in her mouth desperate to not interrupt the moment. God she wished that she had her camera.

"Morning sunshine, something got you all happy?" Sam chuckled, as she made her way into the room for her morning jolt of caffeine. The sight of Danny blushing avidly with his mouth bursting from his bagel was enough to do her in, laughing heartily Sam kissed his cheek and then busied herself fixing a cup of coffee.

Swallowing thickly, Danny chugged half of his glass of milk before replying, "Uh, it's just a really nice morning." Still blushing, he grabbed his food and moved over to the kitchen table. Sam finished adding her sugar and cream then went to join him.

They sat there for a while in a slightly tense silence. Danny knew he had to talk to Sam, but if he started the conversation he was going to be late for work. And Sam was desperately hoping that he wasn't going to bring up Eddie anytime soon. She didn't want Danny to regret asking her to move in with him. Forcing down the last bite of his bagel, Danny rinsed off his plate and then walked back over to where Sam was still contemplating her coffee. Breakfast may have been quiet, but Danny knew something was wrong. And he knew that Sam knew something about it as well.

Leaning down he tilted her head towards him and away from her drink, captured her eye and said gently, "Sammy, I think we need to talk. Something's wrong and I think-"

"-That Tucker has a huge blabbering mouth? And that he should really just stick to shagging Valerie instead of meddling in our lives? You're right, I agree. Have a good day at work." She tore her gaze away from his and gulped down some of her now cooled java.

Nodding, Danny let it drop. He'd talk to her later about it when he wasn't in danger of running late for work or a kick from a pair of black bunny slippers. He lightly kissed the top of her head and left the kitchen. Sam sat there in silence, listening to Danny's car start and then back out of the drive. Now she had to figure out something to do for the next eight to ten hours. Should she go over to Tucker's and kill him slowly, or finish unpacking her boxes?

Though the concept of castrating Tucker with a plastic spork was appealing, Sam realized that she needed something that might last her a little bit longer than a measly twenty minutes. A guy like Tuck couldn't have that big of balls if he spilled his best friend's secrets, though she didn't know exactly what he spilled just yet. But she was intelligent, and had an overactive imagination. Pausing for a second from stirring the milky contents of her cup, Sam stared off into space imagining all he could have spilled to Danny. He was dead meat. Quietly, Sam walked over to sink, dumped out her cold coffee, placing the cup in the dishwasher and then made her way towards the living room. Maybe a day of slogging through memories would cheer her up.

Danny had been working for the same corporation since he started college, Axion. Actually, it was Valerie's father that had gotten him his position there and he had only moved up in the ranks since then. He had started out as a Go-for, but slowly had moved into security once the company had realized that he had an oddly extensive knowledge of security against mortal and ghost alike. Which of course, at the time had only served to increase his brownie points with Mr. Grey, but now he was head of the security department. A decent position but definitely not one he wanted to keep as a career for the rest of his life.

Sitting at his desk, Danny stared at a picture of him, Tucker and Sam take a few years ago just after they had graduated from Casper High. Sam was standing in the middle, significantly shorter than the other two, her arms wrapped around the boy's waists. Tucker was cheering with his cap in one hand and the other wrapped around Sam's shoulder. Danny was grinning at the camera and had his arm wrapped around Sam's waist. All three were dressed in their cap and gowns, other former students milling around in the back ground. He had been dating Valerie at the time, but in this picture it was just Tucker, Sam and Danny; the three Amigos.

A knock on the door interrupted Danny's string of thoughts. "Enter." He called, putting the picture frame back in its spot of honor. Valerie's father, Damon Grey walked inside. Standing up, Danny extended a hand towards his ex-girlfriend's father, "Hey Mr. Grey, how's it going?"

Over the years, Damon Grey's dark hair had gained a silver tint to it, and he had more lines around his eyes and mouth but that didn't detract from the sharpness of his gaze. Firmly shaking Danny's hand, he smiled at the younger man, "Not too bad Fenton, not too bad. Just wanted to come in and see how you were holding up. And Alvarez in Testing wanted to see you at some point today, something about a possible break in last night."

"Thanks, I'll check into it. And I'm holding up just fine," Danny laughed, "I'm just happy Valerie finally found what she wanted." Chuckling along with his daughter's former boyfriend, Damon nodded, said goodbye then walked out of the office.

Danny waited a few minutes quietly to make sure that no one else came into his office, wrote a note saying he was out for a few minutes then went intangible. Normally, he would just walk across the facilities like a regular person, but Testing was on the complete other side of the building and it would take forever. Besides, the sooner he finished up his work for the day the sooner he could get home and wheedle the story out of Sam.

Smoothly, Danny floated through the ceiling into the warehouse located directly above his office. Silently, he flew through the various boxes and packages stored for later use. The room was chilly, which was normal, but it was colder than normal. A shiver started along Danny's spine and moved throughout his entire body, which was odd because as a halfa he hardly felt the cold. Stopping in midflight, he glanced around the warehouse. It was supposed to be empty of any workers at this time.

Invisible, he gently floated to the ground and then flashed back to Danny Fenton. If anyone was in here he could always say that he had been tipped off to a possible security weak point. The company was used to his odd ways by now. Quietly, Danny walked around, keeping his eyes and ears peeled just in case. Shadows were everywhere, making it all but impossible to detail whether they were human or not. The only sounds in the room were the rustling of packaging and the slight breeze wafting in from an open window.

Satisfied that no one was around, Danny jogged out of the warehouse and down the hallway towards the Testing department. He met no one in the hallway, as it was later in the afternoon and most people simply took off instead of waiting till the five o'clock mark. As he jogged farther down into the building, the walls took on a definitely darker appearance, the overhead lighting flickering a bit more than usual. This part of the building was the oldest and least taken care of, most of the money went into R&D and Security, so Testing was pushed to the back burner.

Finally, he came to the last door down the longest hallway in creation. In faded lettering it said on the front, "Testing Dept. Head: Ricky Alvarez." Knocking lightly, Danny didn't wait for a greeting before he walked inside.

The sight that greeted him was an older man dressed in a stained lab coat with thick goggles protecting his eyes; he was busy explaining something to a much younger woman. His arms were moving with such a speed that Danny wondered how much longer it would take before he had to shout, "3…2…1…LIFT OFF!" Moving closer he could hear the tail end of Alvarez's rant.

"…I don't care how talented you are! You do NOT take a break at this juncture in our experiments! I don't give a damn if you have to piss like a racehorse or if your water is about to burst! Do it again, and you're fired! Got that?" Huffing from the exertion of yelling, he plopped his hands on his hips and glared at the young woman, daring her to contradict the great Ricky Alvarez.

Over his shoulder, Danny caught the woman's gaze and winked at her. Her already pale skin blanched in surprise, her mouth slackened just a bit and her eyes widened. Sure that he had just caused the poor woman a heart attack, Danny stood there unsure as she swayed slightly. Still grumbling, Alvarez didn't notice, just told her to get back to work. Nodding, she disappeared without a word into the chaotic mess that was the usual working atmosphere of the Testing department.

"Stupid, no good, wasteful newbie…needs to go back to kindergarten…" Turning around, Alvarez nearly ran into Danny. Stumbling, he reared back ready to lit into another one of his workers when he came face to face with Fenton. A creaky smile broke his dour expression, out of everyone at Axion, old Alvarez had always liked Daniel Fenton. "Fenton! What can I do for ya m'boy?"

Danny grinned at the old curmudgeon, "Hey Alvarez, not much. I just heard from Grey that you had a possible break in? Thought I'd come and check it out for old time's sake." Gesturing to the spot where the girl had disappeared from, "Who was the newbie?"

His scowl once again firmly in place, Alvarez walked towards his office, gesturing for Danny to follow him. Once inside he sat behind his desk and glared through the window that displayed the entire department and its workers, "Oh her? Newbie goes by the name of Amelia Renaud, just transferred here from a sister company. Has 'great promise and talent'" he quoted, and then snorted in disbelief, "Talent my left saggy butt cheek. She almost single handedly destroyed an entire morning's worth of tests on a piece of equipment that would have half of the countries on this damned planet drooling." His eyes gleamed with a wicked spark that told Danny that those same countries were going to have to pay out the butt just to touch this same equipment with their pinkie fingers.

Walking to the window, Danny watched the hustle and bustle outside. "So what does it do?" he asked, turning back to Alvarez.

The older man was sitting here, his fingers steepled and he was looking at Danny with a fixed expression. "Well I shouldn't…could get in trouble ya know." Then he smiled, his slightly yellowed teeth glinting in the light, "Eh but who gives a rat's fart right? It'll stick it to them upstairs. C'mon." Grinning widely, Danny followed Ricky as he shuffled out of his office and towards the large piece of machinery in the center of the room. Surrounding it at the base were three people, two men and the young woman, Amelia, who Alvarez was yelling at earlier.

Standing there, legs akimbo, Alvarez appeared to be the king of the jungle, lord of all he saw. And as far as his department minions were concerned, he was. Danny stood there watching as Ricky ordered everyone to various tasks at machines all over the room; soon the only person that was left was Amelia. Glaring at the new girl, he crooked a finger at the machine, "Turn it on. I need to see you run a procedure," he demanded imperiously.

Backing away slightly, Danny watched as she walked around to a control panel and start hitting buttons and flipping switches. Soon, a low pitch hum began from somewhere inside the invention. Quickly though, the low hum grew louder and louder till Danny swore that his heartbeat was keeping time. Next to her, Alvarez was actually nodding his head in agreement as she continued to hit buttons. Apparently, whatever she was doing it was correct.

But then she glanced up. Catching her eye, Danny could see nothing. No emotions, no personality; it was as if she was simply a shell. Still holding his gaze with her own pale one, she pressed one final button. Instantly, Danny knew something was wrong as Alvarez began shrieking for everyone to either hit the deck or run for their lives. He quickly yanked Amelia down to the ground with him, but Danny wasn't so lucky.

The machine's formerly noisy hum picked up an entirely new decibel level, now it sounded like a teapot. Clutching his hands over his ears, Danny was practically helpless. What could he do? If he went ghost everyone in the place would know he was Danny Phantom. Most of the workers were now down on the floor, their hands covering their heads; others though were desperately clutching workstations and chairs in an effort to remain upright.

Soon, the base of the machine began to shake uncontrollably, from there it escalated until the entire thing was shaking, forcing the entire room to shake. In a split second it was as if everything had gone silent. Then the explosion happened.

A blur slammed into Danny around the knees, forcing him to the ground at the last possible second. In pain and winded he just lay there, face down, as the resulting inferno raged over his head. The screams and the shouts from the people in the room were deadened by the roar of the blaze. The heat from the fire forced sweat beads to instantly form all along his body, there was no way he could tell if he was dead or alive. The roar of the flames lasted for what seemed was forever. Then there was silence.

Shifting slightly, Danny felt a dead weight pressing against his legs and lower back. Lifting his face from the tiled flooring, he glanced around at the wrecked lab. Equipment and machinery alike were destroyed. Luckily it seemed that the technicians had missed the brunt of the fire, only a few were sporting burns.

"Amelia!"

A low groan from somewhere around Danny's lower body answered the worried shout. Twisting his torso around, Danny saw what was left of white blonde hair and pale skin. "Help! She's hurt!" he shouted to no one in particular, gently trying to move so she wasn't hurt more.

With the added help of two other technicians, Danny was able to maneuver Amelia off of his body and onto the much cooler ground. They couldn't lay her on her back, as the fire had burned away the majority of her clothing, what seemed to be a few layers of skin and even bits of her hair, but they placed her face down, a small sigh escaping from her cracked and bleeding lips.

Placing his hand on what was left of her hair, Danny glared at the people around him, "What the hell are you waiting for? Call an ambulance!" Trusting his order would be followed, he then leaned down so he could speak into her ear and murmured, "You're going to be ok, stay with us Amelia." Then checking to see that everyone was preoccupied with the other injured, Danny quickly allowed his ice powers to flow through his body and into his hand. Carefully, so as to not hurt her even more, he released the icy energy onto the bleeding wounds on her back, effectively cooling them down and stopping the burning process.

Twenty minutes later, Danny was helping the EMTs load the injured Amelia onto a stretcher. Grasping her hand as they began to walk slowly to the back entrance where the vehicle was loaded, Danny felt a small pressure on his fingers and looked down. A pair of silver-grey eyes was fixed on him unblinkingly, they were framed by equally pale eyelashes; Amelia was staring at him, her lips pursed in an effort to speak through her pain.

"I'm sorry."

Danny blinked, in shock, "Huh?" Why would she be sorry? Glancing at the EMT with them, Danny could see that the man was more involved with his walkie talkie at the moment than his patient.

Coughing deeply, her body shook in an effort to contain the spasms that were causing her even more pain, "I'm sorry…my orders…I couldn't…didn't want to…kill you." She rasped, her voice sounding as if she had been smoking three packs a day for the past decade.

Taken aback, Danny stared at her, "_Kill_ me? Who would want to kill me?" Outside of half of the Ghost Zone, he thought wryly. Watching Amelia struggle with the words trying to fight their way out, he noticed that she just grew paler and paler if that were possible against her already albino-esque skin.

Shaking her head against the boards strapping her in, Amelia stared at Danny, her eyes wide, "Don't know…name." she gasped as a powerfully painful twinge attacked her body, "only…wanted…Sam."

At that Danny's eyes widened. _Sam?_ This was about her? Stunned, he stopped walking along with the gurney and watched as it continued its way towards the ambulance waiting at the docking station. If Sam was in trouble then she needed him. Swiftly he turned around and made his way towards his office, for the next few days he was going to be working from home and nothing short of an atomic bomb would be able to drag him out.

On the way back he ran into Alvarez who was standing outside of the company break room, his lab coat charred and still smoking slightly around the edges. Coughing slightly, Ricky's eyes lit up as he spotted Danny, "Fenton! Back from taking care of my girl huh? Good boy…good boy. Ya know she could probably use a lil-"

Holding up a hand, Danny derailed that train of thought, "Don't even say it Rick, I have a girlfriend. I was just wondering, how long had Amelia been working in your department for?"

Shrugging his stooped shoulders, Alvarez slapped at his smoking sleeve, " 'Dunno, maybe a week or two. Came highly recommended though. Don't understand what went wrong today, she was doing everything perfectly till that last sequence." He stared off into the space, "Then it was just like she chose the wrong pattern. Weird, eh Fenton? Fenton?" But when he looked up, Danny had already dashed halfway down the hallway toward his office, "Stupid kids…God I need a drink."

Racing the clock to get back home, Danny could have sworn that Murphy really had it out for him that day. Every time he swerved into a lane, some slow poke old grandma would bump along in front of him. Every traffic light that usually stayed green just for him turned to garish yellow and then red before he could zip through. Gritting his teeth against the irritation that was desperate for release, all Danny could wish for was that Sam would be alive when he got home.

"C'mon…C'MON!" he growled, finally pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine off. Phasing through the door, Danny ran straight for his apartment. Forgetting the door, he simply flew straight through it again. Panting in the entryway, Danny glanced in the living room area to his left. Then to the kitchen at his right; no Sam there either.

Scared, he pounded down the hallway to his bedroom, the pictures lining the wall rattling. No, there was his bed still unmade from this morning when he had awakened snuggled up next to her. Scared shitless, Danny fisted his hands in his hair. Where the hell could she be? Did they get her?

Standing still, his chest rising and falling heavily, Danny tilted his head. Was it just him or did he just hear something in the hallway? Walking slowly towards the front door, Danny was moving quietly until…

_CRASH_ "OUCH, DAMNIT!" Hopping up and down on one leg, he looked to see what had tripped him. One of Sam's many boxes had been placed in the hallway. He must have missed it in his mad dash a few minutes earlier.

"Danny? Is that you? What happened?"

Gingerly, Danny put his leg down and tried to put some weight on it, "Ow, shit…yeah, Sam? Is that you?" limping slightly, Danny made his way towards the living room where he thought he had heard Sam's voice. Carefully he walked into the room, breathing out a sigh of relief at the sight of a ruffled looking Sam. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, her makeup was smudged and her clothing was rumbled, like she had just woken from a nap.

"Danny, what the hell happened to you? You look like you've gone a few rounds with Skulker and he actually kicked your ass for once." Grabbing his arm, Sam led him to her recliner, gently pushing him back till he fell into the seat. Kneeling, she carefully began to roll up his pants leg to see what he had done.

"Heh, Skulker I could have handled." Wincing as she probed a sore spot, he continued, "It was one of your stupid boxes. I swear, they're like bunnies, multiplying every time you blink. Ouch, Sam!" jerking his leg back, he glared at her, forgetting his fear now that she was in front of him alive.

Sam rolled her eyes and glared back, "Oh quit whining you baby. And nothing's wrong with your leg, you'll just have a mother of a bruise there for a few days." Sitting back on her heels, Sam watched Danny closely. Something was wrong with him. She could always tell when there wasn't something right.

Placing a gentle hand on his injured leg, Sam caught Danny's attention, "Did something happen at work today? Is that why you're home early?" she asked quietly, tucking a wayward strand of hair back behind her ear, her unusual purple eyes searching his clear blue ones for a hint.

He just looked at her, the beginnings of suspicion dawning in his gaze, "Where were you when I came in Sam?"

Surprised, Sam's eyebrows shot into her hairline, "What?" she laughed, "I was taking a nap here on the couch."

"I didn't see you." He said, looking surly. She looked too damn restful and calm.

Exasperated, Sam just looked at him, "Danny, when you're in a rush do you actually take the time to _look_ around? No." chuckling, she flicked his nose.

Sighing, he shook his head angry at himself for doubting his Sam. Wrapping his arms around her, Danny squeezed tightly. Too tightly, if Sam's squeaks of indignation were any indication. "I'm sorry Sam, it's just….I had a rough day at work." Boy was that an exaggeration. He then went on to tell her exactly what had happened. Except for the part where she was mentioned.

Sam didn't make a sound till the story was finished, "Wow…that's…just, wow. And you think she did it on purpose? I find it hard to believe that someone would want to do that." Shaking her head from side to side, she remained adamant, "Why would she want to kill you in the first place? I mean, it's not like she's a ghost or anything if she was hurt as badly as you said."

Piercing her with his bright blue eyes, Danny asked her a question, "Sam, who's Eddie?" He knew he had hit on something as soon as the words left his mouth. Sam's already pale complexion blanched further and her heliotrope eyes widened to the point where Danny could no longer see her pupils.

"He did tell you then." She whispered slowly, her eyes suddenly icy, "_I'm going to kill Tucker!_" she growled, her fists clenching against the carpet at her knees.

"Don't blame him, the name rang a bell anyways-"

At that minute, Sam's cell phone ringtone cut through the conversation. Moving faster than Sam, Danny reached across the armrest to a side table near the couch and palmed her phone. Ignoring her demands for her phone back, Danny glanced at the caller ID. Holding it up so Sam could see who was calling her, Danny growled, "And now I know why."

"He called you the other day." Danny said, staring at the screen.

Sam nodded, "Yes."

"You told me he was just a friend who used to live in the same dorm with you last year." Tossing the phone into her lap, Danny watched her face, "Sam why didn't you tell me he was the reason why you got the new phone number and had to move out?"

Playing with her phone between her fingers, Sam refused to look him in the eye, "Because I knew you were busy. You know, ghost fighting, working, Valerie. I didn't want to add to that stress. Besides, what could you have done? I was up in New York and you were over here."

"We could have talked about it. I could have helped you in some way." He said quietly, "Sam what'd he do to you?"

Oddly nervous now, Sam stood up and started towards the kitchen, "I want some tea; do you want some tea? Tea sounds good…"

"Oh, no you don't!" reaching out, he snagged her arm and dragged her back so that she was sitting on his lap, "Tea can wait, Sam don't you see we need to talk about this? It's really bugging you and that bugs me."

"Fine," she sighed, moving carefully so she could curl up in his lap, "When you were preoccupied with that red leathered, fly by night skank-"

"Valerie." He laughed at her description.

She nodded, "That's what I said. When you were all wrapped up in her, I thought that…well, you'd never really look my way. So I started dating randomly. I told Tucker about them because I needed someone to talk about them to, and I knew he'd understand." Coyly she glanced up at him through her eyelashes, "You're hard to get over Phantom."

Danny puffed out his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, "That's what they tell me. Ow!"

Smirking, Sam poked him sharply in the chest, "Yeah well, don't let it inflate your ego. You can already fly as it is." Snuggling into his chest, she sighed as he began to stroke her hair, "Anyways, it took me a while to realize that all these guys had certain things in common. That should have told me something, but I was too blind to care. And then last year I met Eddie." Her voice became softer as the memories began to unravel in her mind, "He was everything I thought I wanted."

A spike of jealousy shot through Danny's body at her words. _Everything?_

"He was smart, sweet, hot, and he didn't make fun of me because I was a goth." A sad smile broke Sam's face, "He once told me that he thought it was wonderful I was seeking my own sense of being because it would make me a better person in the end."

Pausing in his ministrations, Danny had to ask, "So what went wrong?"

"I found out later that his father was friends with my parents. They had planned our meeting, dating, relationship…everything. But when I confronted him, he was no longer the guy I had first met." She shuddered, relaxing only when she felt Danny's arms tighten even more around her body, "He was cruel, sadistic and a man whore. He had already slept with half of the freshmen in the dorm before I found out. When I asked him about it," Danny could feel her hesitation to tell him in her voice, "He shoved me against a wall and asked me what I was going to do about it, that I could do nothing and that I was his." She shivered, "Only his."

Sam could feel Danny freeze all around her and knew that if she bothered to look into his face she would be greeted by the sight of menacing green eyes. "When I told my parents they didn't care and insisted that when we got married he would change and see the error of his ways." Sam snorted at the ridiculousness, "As if I'd give him the chance to propose. I moved out that same day and changed my number."

"But he somehow got your number." He stated, glancing at the phone.

"Yeah, he must have wheedled it out of one of my friends. He can be very persuasive when it's something he believes is rightfully his."

"Like you." Danny said, kissing the top of her head and breathing in her scent. Feeling Sam nodding, Danny closed his eyes. He really was an idiot. This was his fault, if he had only realized his feelings to begin with, Sam wouldn't have had to deal with this jackass.

Leaning back, Sam smiled up at Danny noticing that his eyes were back to their natural blue, "I think what really pissed him off was that he could tell he wasn't the only one in my life. Every time he came over to my room in the dorms he had to go through the pictures on my walls." She snickered and kissed his jaw, "I think he felt threatened by you, Danny."

"By me? Why?" This made no sense, he didn't even know the guy and he had felt threatened by him?

Sam nodded, "Mmhmm, I think he could tell that he could never be first in my heart and that pissed him off. One time I caught him about to rip up one of my favorite pictures because it had us in it." Leaning back in the recliner, Sam watched Danny's facial expressions. There was something going on in that head of his that he hadn't told her about just yet, he always got this weird look on his face, like he was trying to do complex math without a calculator.

Slapping her thigh, Sam wiggled her way out of his lap and stood up, "Now can I go get that tea? I've been dying for a cup all day." Numbly he nodded his head, so she walked into the kitchen.

This was too much to think about for the moment. But at least he now knew that this Eddie never actually hit his Sam. If that had happened, personal credos aside, the man wouldn't see another day break. Danny didn't think he could actually kill someone but he would hate for that theory to be tested.

Levering out of the squishy purple laz-e boy, Danny tested his leg and smiled as he realized that whatever magic Sam had used, it was perfectly fine. Standing, he followed her into the kitchen. They would figure everything out. She didn't need to know just yet that someone was after her, especially since he had the faintest inkling that it might just be her twisted ex boyfriend.

In a café along the main strip in downtown Amityville, Eddie sat in a corner booth by himself sipping at an espresso. She hadn't picked up again. _Again_. How DARE she. Didn't she know who she was messing with? And that assassin, what an incompetent piece of crap, couldn't even kill one measly man. She wasn't worth the amount of money he'd given her. And what good was sleeping with Sam's friend to get the number if the bitch wouldn't even pick up?

Tossing back his searing hot coffee, he stood up, tossed a few bills onto the table and walked out. Well, that just meant that he'd have to pull a few of the aces from up his sleeve then. A chilling smile ruined his handsome face as he climbed into his car and drove down the street. He just hoped he had enough gas in the tank for the trip. He didn't think some poor gas station attendant was up to serving him at the moment. Peeling out of the parking lot, smoke filled the air as he drove out of town.

Some hours later, Edward Haverstein III found himself in a wealthy part of Wisconsin. A rather familiar, wealthy part of Wisconsin. Cruising leisurely down the road he glanced from side to side, taking in the ostentatious homes. Finally, he found the one he was looking for. Driving through the open gates and up the driveway, Eddie entered the property of one Vlad Masters, billionaire extraordinaire. And old friend and business associate of his father's.

Walking up to the door, Eddie pounded against the wooden frame. A few minutes later, the door opened and a woman appeared before him.

"Good morning, are you here to speak to my sweet Vlad?" She said. She certainly wasn't the atypical butler he was expecting that's for sure. She was dressed in a turquoise hazmat suit, her red hair cut short in a bob and a ditzy smile on her face. Add to that the fact that she was floating a good two inches above the ground and Eddie knew he had found the right place. Master's was said to be gaga over some chick that he never got a chance at in college.

"Yeah, it's important that I speak to your," he gagged slightly, "'sweet Vlad,' right away." Nodding, the apparition melted away leaving the door slightly ajar. Walking in, Eddie slammed the door behind him. Now he just had to wait. Walking down the hall a ways, he came upon the library and smiled at the table with a decanter of brandy. If he had to wait, he might as well do it comfortably.

Down in the subbasement, Vlad was working on another one of his inventions to clone Danny Phantom when his Maddiebot appeared. Ignoring her presence, he continued to work fervently, desperate to finish and thus begin his experiments.

"Oh Sweetheart!" She sang out in her mechanical voice, "There's a dark haired young man to see you upstairs. He said that it was important and he needed to see you right away." Now silent, she floated along beside him, staring at him lovingly through carefully reproduced lilac eyes.

Pausing from his research, Vlad turned around to face his Maddiebot, "Is that so my dear? Well, well…I always knew Daniel would come crawling to me. It was only a matter of time." Imperiously, he pointed at her, "Go. See where he is and inform him that I shall be right up." With a nod, she melted away into nothingness.

Chuckling, Vlad clasped his hands behind his back, "So Daniel, finally decided to give up on that fool of a father of your's eh?" Wiping his face clean of any expression, Vlad flashed to his alterego and floated up through the ceiling. Appearing in one of the many empty bedrooms that filled out his mansion, Plasmius transformed back into Vlad Masters; checking his reflection in the mirror hanging over a dresser, Vlad straightened his clothing and smiled.

"Finally, you will have your fated son and heir." Then with a nod he marched out of the bedroom only to be greeted once again by his synthetic Maddie. "Well my dear, where is our guest?"

Smiling coquettishly, she pointed down the hall, "He is in the Library, sugar dumplings. Awaiting your awe inspiring presence." Vlad winked at her, a smug expression plastered on his face, and then gestured towards the room where his guest was waiting.

"After you my dear."

Walking into the library, Vlad noticed something wrong. Several things wrong actually. First off, the dark haired young man waiting by the fireplace, a glass of expensive brandy in his hand, was not Daniel Fenton. Secondly, he wasn't any dark haired young man that Vlad knew personally.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my home?" He barked, standing just inside the doorway staring at the intruder who had the audacity to partake of his favorite drink.

Closing the book he had been browsing through and putting it on the fireplace mantle, Eddie turned and smirked at the older man, "I'm hurt _Uncle Vlad_ that you can't even remember your favorite fake nephew." Swallowing the last of his brandy, he placed the glass alongside the book on the mantle. Throwing his arms out wide, Eddie called out jovially, "How's about a hug for old time's sake? No?" He asked, seeing the expression on Vlad's face, "That's fine, I came for business anyway."

The proverbially lightbulb finally lit up over Vlad's head, "Edward Haverstein?" he choked out, shocked at this unexpected appearance.

"The third thank you," Eddie nodded, "Finally, I see that you remember me. That's wonderful, I was beginning to be worried that I would have to bring out pictures of my sixth birthday party. You remember…the one where you were dressed as bozo the clown…?"

Flapping his hands desperately in an attempt to shut the younger man up, Vlad growled at him, "Yes, yes! I remember, unfortunately. Now, what do you want? Or should I just call security?"

Eddie shrugged, "Call security; though I believe you might regret not hearing out my proposition." Digging a hand into his inner jacket pocket, he pulled out a thick packet and waved it into the air, "I may have something that'll interest you. I know you and my father had a falling out a few years ago, but a Haverstein and Master's merger might just be the thing. Don't you think?"

Eyeing the packet in Eddie's hand, Vlad crossed his arms, "What is that?" he demanded, "If those are the damned pictures from your birthday-"

Shaking his head decisively, Eddie replied, his voice tinged with acid, "Oh nothing quite so mundane I'm afraid. Though I could have those up here sometime today if you wish. No, for this I believe we'll need to go somewhere more comfortable Uncle Vlad. Or should I say, Vlad Plasmius?"

Agog, Vlad only stared in shock. How could this…this _child_ know that? "How'd you find out?" He queried hoarsely.

A light smile warmed Eddie's usually cold hazel eyes, "Aw, even you must remember all those times my father would drag me along on business trips, Uncle Vlad. One day I walked into the wrong room, and saw Vlad Plasmius talking with my father. A minute later, Plasmius was Masters. Really, even at the age of eight it doesn't take a genius to figure something was going on. I had just always assumed that you used mirror tricks and that was why my father agreed to the merger. Now, I think it's something completely different." Walking over to a table in one of the corners of the room, Eddie opened the envelope in his hand and allowed the pictures to cascade all over the surface.

"I think you're a ghost. Or part one anyway. And I know you hate Danny Phantom. So tell me," His light brown eyes now ice chips in their intensity, "Why is Danny Phantom making out with _my_ girl?" picking up several of the photos dotting the table, he flung them at Vlad.

Barely catching one, Vlad looked at it closely. In the photograph there were two young people, one a girl and the other a rather familiar looking boy, both having dark hair and fair skin. The girl was standing on the passenger side of the car, a freaked out expression on her face. The boy appeared to be in the car. Standing up. No, Vlad took a double take, the boy wasn't actually in the car, but passing through, an intense expression on his face as if of great concentration. It was Daniel Fenton and on closer examination the dark haired girl with him must be an older Samantha Manson.

Quirking an eyebrow, Vlad couldn't help but ask, "Your girl? It seems as if she is Daniel's girl." Glancing at other pictures showed similar scenes between Sam and Danny, some with him as Danny Phantom and some with her less than fully dressed; blushing slightly, Vlad tended to over look those.

"No," a feral expression took over his face and Eddie hissed at Vlad, "She's mine. She belongs to me. And since my earlier plans didn't quite work out as I'd wanted, I need your cooperation."

"Cooperation? To do what? Break them up? Good luck, they've been in love since they were children. And there is nothing you can do that could possibly make me humor a spoiled child who has never understood the meaning behind one of the simplest words in the world. No." Shaking his head, Vlad turned his back and made to leave the library.

Baring his teeth in a challenge, Edward once again dug through his inner jacket pocket, "Really? Now, I do believe I might have something to make you change your mind." Brandishing another packet, similar to the first, he chucked it at Vlad's back. "And don't bother keeping them, they're copies naturally." He said carelessly, flicking lint off of his immaculately pressed Armani suit.

Silently, Vlad flipped through the several dozen pictures of him. They ranged from him as Vlad Plasmius, to him as Vlad Masters, and even a few of him in mid change between both. Lowering his head, Vlad glared daggers at the young man, "What exactly did you have in mind Edward?"

Solemnly, Eddie watched Vlad, "Well, since our Danny Fenton, or Phantom, is about as easy to kill as a cockroach after a nuclear explosion-"

Horrorstruck, Vlad stared at him, "Kill? Maddie's son?"

Glancing at the bobbing holograph beside the couch, Eddie's interest flickered and was gone, "Maddie eh? Yes, kill…course the assassin was incompetent. But you know what they say, good help really is hard to find now and days. Money apparently can't buy everything. Anyways, since he was a pain to try and get rid of, killing is the second option, though preferable. I just need him out of the way and Sam believing he's dead. Without her knowing I was involved." A hazy light appeared in his eye, "I want her to come running back, knowing that she's mine." A low chuckle escaped and filled the room.

A quick glance at Vlad told Eddie that killing Danny would have to be put on a back burner. At least till later, "Fine, don't kill the man. I know you want a protégé, keep him. I just want her, without him in the picture. But afterwards, he's all yours Masters. Do we have a deal?" Thrusting his hand out, it took a split second before Vlad was clutching it and pumping their hands vigorously.

"Haverstein, it'll be a pleasure. Truly."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoO

Sorry this took so long, classes have started up again but i'll do my best to continue...is it bad that i have such an attatchment to my bad guy? lol i love Eddie in a sick and twisted manner, its so wrong and i need therapy :-D And don't worry, i have plans for Vlad, Eddie, Sam and Danny buahahahaha


	5. Divide

**Disclaimer**- don't own Danny Phantom…if I did, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction? Lol

Bright sterile lights lit the dank, underground room. The entire atmosphere released a sense of eternity, made on think that to walk in there was to pray that you'd be able to walk back out again soon. It was a long room, cold and white with high ceilings, a lone fireplace along the far wall was meant to give off some heat. Nothing marred the cold precision of the chamber, save for the occasional beeping of machinery.

In the middle of the room, in some sort of twisted Frankenstein mock-up, was a large metal table covering the majority of the flooring. On the table, a sheer clothe covered various bumps, grooves and curves from the prying eyes of humanity. The two persons in this room could not very well be called "human," and therefore were allowed to be in its presence.

The younger of the two, smoothly walked through the entire room, his weirdly golden hazel eyes forgetting nothing they had seen. Every beep, boop and pop could not escape his notice. Pausing beside the dense table in the center of the room, he rapped his knuckles against the metal causing a deep echo to bounce through the high ceiling.

"So Vlady, are you going to tell me exactly what your plan is? I mean, we are partners now…share and share alike, isn't that what we were taught?" tightly, his hands fisted the gauzy material covering the table, ready to yank it away and see what was hidden from his sight, when a older hand stopped his movements.

Glaring at his young compadre, Vlad Masters shook his head, "Edward, if you wish to gain your young lady back, I must ask that you _leave my things alone_!" Swiftly changing into his counterpart, now Vlad Plasmius was glaring at the young man, his vampiric fangs bared in a menacing smile, "All in good time, my boy. A war was never won simply by brute strength alone. No, strategy must play its part." Then his nose wrinkled as if from an awful smell, "_And don't call me VLADY!"_ he roared.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Edward released the now wrinkled fabric and walking towards the opposite wall, leaned against it and watched Vlad as he worked. The man may be a fruitloop, but he did know one thing that was for certain. In every war, there was strategy. He just needed to make sure that theirs worked together…to a degree.

Deciding to play the rich, spoiled kid card, Eddie huffed in aggravation, "When are we going to do something? No offense, Plasmius, but this place isn't exactly Hef's joint." Spreading his arms wide in order to encompass the entire subbasement, he exclaimed, "You don't even have a pool for god's sake, no wonder you're so freakishly pale." He smirked at the sight of Vlad's knuckles slowly turning a distinct white color, as he clenched them together painfully.

Knowing he cannot alienate his one ally, Vlad gritted his teeth in his reply, "Yes, Edward, I do realize that. But do not worry; soon we shall have what we need to incapacitate Danny Fenton."

Shoving against the wall, Eddie moved towards the stairs leading up to the "real" basement, his eyes glinting with unfathomable mirth, "That's what I'm counting on, Vlady."

Watching the youth's back as he moseyed up the stairs, Vlad kept his eye on the darkened doorway. Once he was satisfied that Eddie had left, he snapped his fingers loudly into the still room. Instantly a floating, almost completely metallic body appeared before him.

"Skulker," he snapped, "go. Keep an eye on Phantom. I want to know where he goes, what he does and with whom he spends time with for the next three days. Do not let me down, understand?" Slowly, Plasmius rose into the air until he was face to face with his servant. "And if I hear that Daniel has had one hair on his head harmed before the proper time," Vlad smirked, "understand, I can't be held accountable for what might happen to you. You are to observe. The capture shall go to myself."

Grinning his metallic smile, Skulker nodded and vanished through the ceiling. Slowly, Vlad floated to the hard cement floor and flashed back to his human self. No sense in trying to turn an injured Phantom, besides…the damage would be much more permanent if he were healthy first.

Blinking slowly in the darkness, Danny sat up from bed, moving as if through a fog. A quick glance at the alarm clock on his bedside table told him that all sane people should be asleep or counting various fleecy animals; course since Danny was used to odd hours he wasn't bothered by this realization. Rumpling his perpetually messy hair, he sighed and settled back into bed. Whatever it was could wait till morning, then he and Sam could…

Sam. Still lying on his side, Danny's eyes shot open, glowing green in the darkness of his room. Reaching his arm behind him, his body stiffened when his fingers didn't feel Sam in her usual position. Silently, he crawled from the bed and dashed through the bedroom door.

Quickly he moved to the living room, just in case she pulled another stunt like the other day. Who knows? Sam could be a sleepwalker and subconsciously decided to sleep on the couch. Not even believing his own theory, Danny tore through the small apartment. Desperate, he almost ripped his front door off of its hinges in his attempt to see if she was outside.

Breathing deeply, Danny exhaled quickly in surprise. There Sam was, sitting in a lawn chair in the little patch of grass in front of his apartment. She was covered in one of his blankets, a steaming cup of something in her hands and her bunny slippered feet bouncing up and down over the side of the chair. Her hair was ruffled by the light nighttime breeze as she gazed upwards into the starry sky.

Danny fervently wished he had thought to put on a shirt or at least a pair of slippers before coming outside, as he made his way towards his wayward girlfriend, it was just a bit nippy outside. "Sam? What the hell are you doing out here this late at night? You remember night, the time when most people sleep?" Yawning, his jaw cracked loudly as if to emphasize his point.

Without looking at her intruder, Sam replied, "And you remember your girlfriend? The goth? Yeah, Danny, we're nighttime people. Get used to it." But a smile crossed her face at the sight of her shirtless boyfriend. "Why are you up Danny?"

His smile at her was tender bordering on embarrassing, "What, you expected me to sleep without my creature of the night girlfriend?" Her blush was answer enough for him. Chuckling, he walked over, picked her up and sitting down settled the protesting Sam comfortably across his lap. Smoothly plucking her cup from her hands, he laid it on the ground.

Curling her tightly beneath his chin and squeezing her slight body against his, Danny asked, "Sammy, why are you out here?" Her silence was not something he had counted on, Danny hadn't thought the question to be that tough that it required extensive thinking.

A few minutes later she replied, "I wanted to look at the stars." Glancing down, Danny noticed that her eyes were firmly fixed on the crowded sky, so firmly fixed that they refused to meet his own eyes.

"Sam, c'mon, you know you can't lie worth a damn…"

So softly that he almost couldn't tell it was a sigh, Sam released a low breathe as she twisted around to finally look him in the eye. "Do you ever feel like this is all too easy?" She asked Danny, her face contorted in confusion.

"Too easy? How is anything connected to us, too easy, Sam? I'm half ghost, you and our best friend fight alongside me. My ex-girlfriend, Tucker's girlfriend is still out for my blood. My parents don't have the faintest idea who I am half the time and your parents want me dead. Not to mention Vlad, Skulker, and the other billion ghosts in the zone. Oh yeah, "he laughed, "its all way too easy."

Firmly she elbowed Danny, "Not what I meant Phantom. I mean, don't you think that…well, _us_," she gestured between them, "has been a lil too easy?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't think it's been easy enough actually. And honestly Sam, would you have wanted it to be any different?"

Mimicking his movements, Sam shook her head as well, "No, of course not." Raising her head, Sam's purple eyes stared into the heavens, "I just have the weirdest feeling…" she snorted, "Forget it, I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about."

Danny sat there with Sam in his lap as if he were stone, "No, c'mon Sam, what is it?" Sam's feelings were usually not to be disregarded.

Tracing the constellations with her fingers, Sam commented, "Well. I just have this…feeling, that something's going to happen."

"Something good?" Danny said lightly as he combed his chilled fingers through Sam's hair. Silently he prayed that her feeling was a good one. He really didn't want to be the one to bring Eddie into this conversation.

She shrugged, "I don't really know Danny, that's the weird thing. It's just a feeling really." Glancing into his face, she grinned, "I told you I had no idea what the hell I was talking about." Her grin quickly disappeared through at the look on Danny's face. Again she felt like he was hiding something from her. Why couldn't he just tell her? It's not like she would get mad at him.

Quiet, Danny just watched her. He knew she was frustrated with him, and he didn't blame her. Kissing the top of her head, Danny closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. She had just gotten over the hell that bastard put her through, and Danny didn't want to accidently raise any of her fears just by commenting that he thought Eddie was the one behind his attempted murder.

Wouldn't that be one fun conversation?

A slightly tickling sensation just beneath his collarbone pulled Danny's attention away from his thoughts. Glancing down, he saw that Sam was gently running her hands over his naked torso. A look into her face told him that she may not have understood her weird feeling a minute ago, but she definitely understood this one.

Obliging her, he tilted her head towards him for a better angle and then lightly brushed his lips against hers, teasing her gently. She exploded beneath him. Reaching up, she wrapped her hands in his hair, gripping the strands tightly as she ravaged his mouth with deep, desperate kisses.

Danny allowed her to control their actions and helped her when she tried to straddle him without breaking the kiss. With her legs now encasing her lover between her thighs, Sam leaned back and stared at Danny, her hair mussed and her lips bruised.

"Inside," she panted, throwing her arms around his neck and running her open mouth up and down his strong neck. Gripping her thighs firmly, Danny stood upright slowly so as to not jostle her overmuch. Normally he would have simply gone ghost and then phased them through all obstacles, but the last time he tried to do that he got yelled at, so he knew better this time.

But with his first step, a shiver ran down his spine and a blue wisp of smoke escaped from his lips. Ordinarily, Danny would have simply gone after the ghost and just told Sam that duty called. But with her "weird" feelings, he didn't want her thinking that this was her fault. This was the first time in weeks that his ghost sense had gone off and Sam was bound to think it was due to her 'feelings.'

So for the first time in his life, Danny Phantom ignored his ghost sense, grasped Sam a little more securely and marched inside his apartment and down the hallway to their bedroom. (He cheated a little at the end and phased through the door, but Sam was just a little preoccupied and never noticed).

Outside, still in the chilly midnight air, a figure wreathed in darkness slowly came into sight. With a grating sound, it twisted on the ground and launched into the air before disappearing. Day one of its reconnaissance and nothing unusual to report; Plasmius would be pleased.

A couple of days later saw Danny and Sam sitting at their kitchen table talking. Debating. Ok, arguing.

"No."

Slamming her hand on the kitchen table, causing the coffee cups to rattle with the vibrations, Sam glared fiercely at Danny, "Yes, Daniel. If I'm going to live here, I have to do my part. I have a degree, let me freaking use it!"

"Sam , c'mon think about it. Someone was after my blood not five days ago. How do we know they won't come looking for you?" he pleaded with her, the faint beginnings of a puppy dog look on his face.

"Maybe because I'm not an obsessive half ghost who has a savior complex?"

A sarcastic laugh cut through the atmosphere, "Oh, that's hilarious. Funny, I didn't see you complaining the dozens of times I've saved you or Tucker…or the world for that matter." Carefully, Danny reached out across the table and grasped her hand, clutching it tightly when she tried to pull away, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He said softly, "You know I didn't mean it Sammy. I just have no idea what I would do if something…" swallowing painfully, Danny couldn't even finish the sentence. The very idea of a life without Samantha Manson was blasphemy.

Sighing deeply, Sam clasped her other hand around the one already gripping his, "I know. But really Danny, I've been here for days! I've unpacked, cleaned the apartment I don't know how many times and God help me, I've been almost reduced to soap operas!" she chuckled, "Unless you want to come home to an apartment covered ceiling to floor in anti-ghost junk, you'd better let me see something other than this crappy wallpaper."

Opening his mouth, he was about to say something when she beat him to the punch. "Don't make me bring in your parents. Or Jazz." Slamming his mouth shut tight, Danny stared at her blankly. She wouldn't. She couldn't…

After a moment of staring each other down, waiting for the moment when one would blink as a sign of weakness, Danny finally gave in with a shake of his head. "Fine, but try and get something, I dunno…_safe_ maybe?"

Sam chuckled at her victory, leaning over she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll do my best, no promises though."

Giving her a pointed look, Danny walked around the table and gave her a definitely more heated kiss, "Fine, no promises. I just want you alive at the end of the day." Glancing at the clock he noticed that he was late for his first day back since the accident; winking at Sam, he grabbed his stuff and jogged out the door.

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's rapidly retreating back, Sam sat at the table for a few minutes. She'd won that argument way more easily than she thought she would. A job. Finally, a chance to do something in this world besides ghost hunting that might make a difference. But what? She had no credentials, no resume…nothing. Not even an internship. Who in the world would hire her with nothing to bring? Besides, the Nasty Burger, but wearing that stupid costume was not how she wanted to make her point to Danny.

A harsh grimace cut across Sam's normally serene face. She knew what she had to do. She didn't want to, and she knew that Danny would have a cow if he knew what she was planning. But it was time.

For a second, Sam glared balefully at her silent phone sitting not three inches to the left of her hand. It was mocking her. Almost desperately, Sam snatched up the phone and started to dial. Holding it up, she listened as the ringtone buzzed in her ear.

When someone picked up, Sam had to clear her throat. This was going to be harder than she ever imagined. "Hello, Dad? It's Sam." A shocked silence answered her for a minute. And then the voice began again, this time in earnest.

"Yes, Sam…you know, your daughter?" Nervous, Sam picked up a discarded utensil and started drumming lightly on the kitchen table.

"No, he hasn't killed me yet," she sighed, aggravated, "Sorry Dad, I'm not coming home right now. We're doing fine, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about." Sam's eyes suddenly widened and her fingers stopped their nervous tattoo against the worn table in shock, "What the hell? Of course I'm not pregnant! That's not it at all Dad! God…just, stop! Please." Pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand, Sam sighed in exasperation, "I'm calling because I need a favor."

"Mhmm…yeah, I know. Tell Mom and Grandma I said hi, by the way." Sam nodded at something he said, "Dad, I get it alright? I'm sorry. You know I love you, but I just needed to…That's not fair!" she exclaimed into the speaker, "For the last time, I'm not calling about Danny, Dad. I said a favor and that does not include trying to get my boyfriend whacked." _Not that it doesn't happen regardless_, she thought disgustedly.

A quiet voice broke through her thoughts dragging her back to the present, Sam listened for a minute. "Thank you. I appreciate that; think you can talk to mom…? Alright, I won't push, but really he isn't a bad guy. But what I've been trying to ask you for the past fifteen minutes is that I was wondering if you'd help me get a job." Wincing, Sam jerked the phone away from her ear as a squawk blasted through the speakers. "I know, but you know I wouldn't ask if it weren't really important to me." A small smile broke her face, "This afternoon? Thanks Dad, I'm more than happy to meet this guy of yours. Three o'clock at the corner coffee shop downtown. I'll be there." Hanging up, a rush of enthusiasm flooded through Sam's body. Finally she wouldn't just be as useful as a bump on a log around the apartment.

Whistling happily, Sam scooted away from the table and walked down the hallway towards the bathroom. If she was going to make her appointment on time, she was going to have to do some definite damage control, her hair looked like a crow's nest and the sweats she was wearing had a look about them that screamed "I've been wearing these for three straight days!" Popping in her favorite Evanescence CD in the stereo, Sam stripped and stepped carefully into the steaming shower with a long suffering sigh. It had been a long couple of weeks.

Slogging through yet another stake of papers in his in-tray, Danny had to admit. It had been a long couple of weeks. Having Sam live with him was fabulous, but it was nothing like living with Valerie. With Valerie it had been all about passion. Volatile and harsh, it had nonetheless sometimes been amazing. But with Sam, everything was softer. Definitely no less passionate, but it had a different quality. More final, eternal in a way...like she was all he had ever been waiting for, as if that void in his chest had gone from being this gaping black hole to a solid brick wall.

A soft smile crossed his face at the memory of waking up next to Sam, her dark hair curling around her cheek and shoulders, her face strained in a light frown. It was that slight V in her eyebrows that did him in, it was pure Sam; that even while sleeping she could be worrying about something.

A shake of his head brought him back to the real world, and a glance at the clock told him that he still had several hours before he could skip out in good conscience. He had been desperately trying to avoid all major work today, and especially Ricky. Ever since the accident, Ricky could be seen stalking the hallways trying to corner Danny. Apparently he wanted to know why his girl Amelia wasn't good enough for Danny to date, never mind that Danny had already told him he had a girlfriend.

An ice cold feeling cascaded down Danny's back. With a fierce shiver, he shoved the paperwork away from himself and swiveled his chair around. This was the third time in three days that he had felt the presence of something nonhuman. Unfortunately, the two previous times he had been with Sam and couldn't do anything about it without making her worried.

This time though, he was free.

Standing up, Danny pushed his chair backwards and jumped into the air, flashing into his alter ego. Floating gently in the chilled air, Phantom trained his vibrant eyes around his office trying to spot something out of place. "Ok," he called into the room, "I'm here, what the hell do you want?"

All that answered him was a chuckle. But it was one that he recognized all too well.

Growling under his breath, Danny turned intangible and flew through his door. This was where he worked, no ghost was going to ruin things for him. Just outside his doorway, Danny came face to face with one of his more annoying adversaries.

"Skulker," he greeted with a growl, "I thought I recognized your mechanical wheeze. Ember forget to oil you this morning?" His fists tightened of their own accord and Danny positioned himself in a fighting stance.

Unexpectedly though, Skulker sighed, "Can it Whelp. As much as I'd love to lay your pelt on the foot of my bed, I'm under strict orders to not touch you. So don't try my patience. Otherwise I might have to do something I'd regret later on."

Confused, Danny cocked his head to the side and stared at Skulker, "Under orders? From who?"

Focused on Skulker, Danny only saw a smirk cross his face as he looked over Danny's shoulder. "From me of course Daniel."

Danny froze. Whipping around, Danny's eyes narrowed as they came in contact with Vlad Plasmius' red ones. "Vlad, wonderful. I was beginning to wonder if you had finally taken my advice about the getting a life and the whole cat thing." He said dryly, grinning as Plasmius's face flushed in anger.

Sighing dramatically, Vlad gestured at Skulker who shifted behind the pair as Vlad continued to speak, "I find it fascinating that after all these years you still haven't lost that fabulous sense of humor of yours Daniel."

Equally dramatic, Danny relaxed his pose as he glared at Vlad, "And I just find it pathetic in an older man that you couldn't get over my mother."

"Water under the bridge, Daniel," Vlad replied, waving his hand in the air grandly, "That is not while I'm here today." Then he nodded.

Suddenly, Danny felt pain radiate throughout his entire body. With a scream of pain, his back arched drastically and his entire body twisted. His arms extended outward and shaking from painful shock. Then with an anticlimactic thud, Danny fell straight to the ground and lay there twitching for a few minutes, a large dart like object sticking out from his upper arm. But he didn't get back up.

A grim smile lit up Vlad's face as he stared at the fallen figure of his aggravating nemesis, "That is why I'm here." Then with a jerk of his head towards Danny, Vlad turned invisible and disappeared, leaving Skulker to pick up the limp body with a sigh. Then he disappeared, silently following the footsteps of his master.

Around two o'clock, Sam smoothly walked out of the apartment, dressed to the nines in a black pantsuit and a lavender camisole with kitten heels. If she was going to meet her future employer, she wanted to definitely make a lasting impression at the get go. Almost giddy with excitement, she slid into her car, buckled up and smoothly pulled out on to the main road.

As she drove, Sam was wondering about Danny. Why had he had such an aversion to the idea of her getting a job? Sure, someone had tried to do him in the other day, but that didn't mean they were going to go after her. Quickly, Sam shook her head. Listen to her; she was so blasé about death now. That's what happens when you spend most of your time around beings who were either dead or just half dead.

Was it so wrong though, for her to try and make her own money, her own career path? He had his life, his ghost fighting and his career. Besides being his sidekick slash girlfriend, what did she have to call her own? That's why she wanted this so desperately, to prove that she was more than just his girlfriend. Sam knew that Danny thought more of her than just that, but this was for _her_.

Nervous, as she drove closer and closer to downtown, Sam glanced down at her cell phone, snuggled gently in the cup holder to her right. Should she call Danny? She wanted his approval, his reassurance and his support. This would be so much easier knowing that there was someone backing her all the way.

Making a decision, Sam reached down and grabbed her phone. Pressing number one on speed dial, Sam listened to the ringtone. One ring, two rings, three rings, four. It continued on for a total ten rings before a voice answered. "The number you have dialed is temporarily out of range. Please try your call again later, thank you." Stunned, Sam sat there, staring ahead as she drove through Amityville.

Out of range? Since when was Danny's phone out of range? He hadn't mentioned anything about going out of town today. A wave of nausea swirled around her, was something wrong? It was her weird feeling, something was finally happening.

Firmly trying to get a grip on herself, Sam continued to drive through the town towards her destination. Yet, when she laid the phone back into the cup holder, her hand was shaking. Something was wrong; her spidey sense was tingling all over the place.

Finally crawling through the traffic that always plagued downtown Amityville, Sam got really lucky and discovered a parking spot close to the café. Quickly she checked herself in the mirror and touched up her lipstick before grabbing her purse and easing her body out of her car. Walking into the café, she greeted the hostess and gave her, her name. With an easy smile, the woman started walking towards the patio.

At the table, Sam smiled and thanked the woman before turning around and to greet her interviewer. Mouth open and hand extended before her, Sam froze as her entire body felt engulfed in flames. There standing before her was the bane of her existence, the fodder of her nightmares.

A boyish smile grinned at her and that gleam in his eye that she remembered so well stared back at her, "Eddie," she gasped, her eyes wide in horror.

Nodding amiably from his seated position, Eddie motioned at the seat next to him, "Good afternoon Sam. Please sit, our drinks will be here in a moment."

Stunned, Sam's brain felt as if all coherent thought had flown the coop. She sat down robotically, her mouth still gaping in shock as her breath wheezed in and out. Eddie? When did he get in town? Why was he here? He looked exactly like she remembered. His hazel eyes a light golden shade, his dark hair smoothed immaculately down, every hair in its proper place. His face too hadn't changed from the stunningly handsome face of the man she'd once thought she loved, save that she could see a new hardness in the lines around his mouth. He was definitely dressed for business though, in a dark grey pinstripe suit and a tie that matched his eye color perfectly. All in all, he looked like the proper ivy-league boy that he wasn't.

Quickly, a server came by and handed them glasses of water. Desperately, Sam chugged half of hers down. Why hadn't she already left? But she knew this was part of Eddie's charm, he could get anyone to do whatever he wanted.

Slowly lowering her glass to the table, Sam nevertheless kept a tight grip on it. "Why are you here Eddie?" she asked, a desperate undercurrent easy to hear in her voice.

He graced her with a small smile, "I was under the impression that I was here to interview you for a job Sam. At least, that's what your father said when he had his secretary call me up, begging me to help you." He sighed, his eyes boring into hers, "And of course I could never say no to your family Sam. Or you." He clapped his hands and grinned, "So here we are."

Helplessly, Sam shook her head, "No…this can't be happening! I told you I never wanted to see you again. I told my parents that, why would my dad do this to me?" A flash of pain crossed her face at the knowledge of familial betrayal, they knew what he had done to her and yet they were still trying to push Eddie and Sam together. Didn't they care for her sanity?

Staring into her eyes deeply, Sam flinched at the feel of his gaze on her. When something touched her, she jumped in the air and broke the eye contact. Glancing down, she could see that he had somehow intertwined their fingers. Blanching from the contact, Sam tried to gently tug her hand away but found it was like trying to wrench a foot from a bear trap. The more you tugged, the more it hurt.

"Sam," with a deer in the headlights look about her, Sam stared at him; "I know what you think I did. But honestly, whoever told you that I slept with the freshmen girls was just jealous of me. And the thing about the Dean, he's just an old friend of the family's." A seemingly gently laugh wafted through the café, "That man seriously cannot hold his drink anyway and the dog was fine later." A look entered his eyes that Sam never saw before on Eddie's face. But she couldn't tell if it was kind or crazed, "I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm sorry that things ended the way they did. I know today we were supposed to just meet for a job interview, but I was hoping that we could be friends as well."

The fire that had swallowed her up before burned at her insides, twisting and turning everything until it was numb from the shock and pain of his presence and touch. "I have a boyfriend now." She blurted, desperate for an escape from this torture.

The same odd look crossed his face as before, "That's wonderful Sam, I'm happy for you. So, when do I get to meet the Casanova that swept your feet from under you?" He chuckled deeply as if from a private joke.

Taking a deep breath, Sam made one last attempt and wrenched her hand free of his, "I don't think that's such a good idea actually." Unconsciously, she rubbed her hands together under the table as if to cleanse them of his touch and scent.

He shook his head sadly, "Sam, please. I'm trying to make things easy. Our families are going to see a lot more of each other now that our parent's merger has finally gone through. I really don't want to make things difficult for them, do you?"

Still rubbing her hands together vigorously, Sam grumbled, "Sure I do…the liars." Out loud though, what she said was, "Eddie, I'm sorry but this has been a huge shock. Listen, I'm sure that the job is a fantastic one, but I just don't think I can do it. I'm sorry." And with that she grabbed her purse and rushed out of the restaurant, almost bowling over a waiter carrying a tray laden with various meals.

Watching her disappearing back, Eddie raised one hand into the air, "Check." He called to the nearby waitress. So she was still a bit skittish, he thought. That was fine with him, he could work around that, especially if Vlad's plan had already been executed. A sharp look entered his eyes. Executed, what an apt word; leaving a fifty on the bill, Eddie walked out of the restaurant briskly. It was time for plan two.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hey guys! Thanks for the last few reviews, but more are always welcome and definitely needed! Suggestions, hints...whatever works for you! And for Cute in Pruple...i have plans for that ring :-D


	6. Conquerish

Disclaimer-nope, don't own a thing

Rolling from side to side, Danny groaned and clutched his upper arm. Groggy, he used his good arm and levered upright blinking in the darkness. His head hurt, his arm hurt…his entire body ached down to the last pore. Gripping his arm, Danny grasped at the wall and struggled to stand up, his legs shaking unevenly. Carefully, he removed his hand from his arm and stared at it. Or at least where he thought it might have been; rubbing his fingers together, Danny felt something sticky coating them. He was bleeding. Why? What the hell happened?

Danny lifted his head slowly, did he just hear something? Shivering slightly, he scooted along the wall and slumped in the corner like a broken doll. Quietly he waited as the footsteps he'd heard got closer and closer. A light cut through the gloom, blinding him momentarily. A figure was bathed in the glow in the doorway.

Walking into the room, Vlad sniffed at the crumpled figure of his long time arch foe, "I'm so sorry about your accommodations Daniel, but the penthouse suite is being remodeled this week."

Danny glared at the older man, his teeth bared in a snarl, "Plasmius. What the hell do you want?" he growled in a low voice.

Shrugging, Vlad smirked at Danny and crossed his arms indifferently, "What any sane man wants: Love, money, power, the Green Bay Packers and of course the world."

Rolling his eyes, Danny struggled to remain upright as the pain seemed to take its toll on his body. There was something wrong here, he was used to being injured continually ever since he became Danny Phantom, but it had never done this to him. "I didn't ask what a sane man wanted, I asked what you wanted Vlady."

His eyes flashing momentarily from his normal color to a vicious red, Vlad hissed, "Do not ever call me Vlady, understand?" Straightening up, Vlad tugged at his suit sleeves, "Now then. Get comfortable. I get the feeling you might be here a while Daniel. Though honestly, we really don't want that. Would make your mother all upset." Smiling at the defeated form of Danny, Vlad turned around and faced the doorway, his hand on the knob before he faced Danny again, "Oh and one more thing. Don't bother trying to phase out of here. That nifty little gadget that your parent's cooked up? You know the one, the belt that protects from ghosts…? Yes well, anyways, I borrowed it from your parent's lab while you were sleeping."

Danny glanced at his waist at the bulky, metallic belt glowing that was hung low on his hips. So that was why he was tired. It wasn't just the injuries Vlad had inflicted on him, it was that plus the addition of one of the few anti-ghost inventions of his parent's that actually worked. "I'm going to get out of here Masters." Danny groaned as he slid to the floor and unconsciously tucked his feet beneath his body.

Holding up his right hand, Vlad spun a keychain around one of his fingers, "Oh, I really don't believe that'll be happening any time soon. See, there's only one key. And I have it."He grinned at the pain etched on Danny's face, "Don't worry. I'll be back to visit soon enough." The door slammed shut behind him with an ear ringing echo that didn't leave Danny for several hours.

Driving slowly, her brain half on the road and half back at the café she had left an hour ago, Sam felt like she was quietly dying inside. Eddie was back, and her parents had brought him into her life again. It was like the past year hadn't even happened! And what was that thing with the Dean and the dog? She hadn't even heard that one…what else had happened that never got around to her?

Staring blankly at the red traffic light which simply glared at her from above, something struck her; was he right though? Could she actually prove that he had done all those things, like she thought? Everything that she had heard had come by way of word of mouth, from various people that she had known and some that she had even hated. Everything she had heard had never come directly from him.

Then the light turned green and Sam involuntarily flinched. But she could still remember the time when he slammed her against the wall, detailing just how he owned her. Rolling her shoulders, Sam could still feel the harshness of the brick pressing into her back and head. She'd had bruises for over a week after that. Driving slowly forward, she directed her brain to think on anything but Eddie. She wanted to talk to Danny before she did anything.

Quickly, she turned into the apartment complex and parked. Unbuckling, Sam grabbed her purse and phone as she slid out and slammed the door shut. Dialing, she held the phone up to her ear as she finagled with the lock on their apartment. Again, all she heard was a ringtone and then a monotone voice telling her that the party she wished to reach was beyond the phone's range.

Frustrated, Sam slammed the door shut behind her and threw her purse on a table in the hallway. Where the hell was he? It wasn't like him to just up and disappear. A half smile tugged on her face, ok…maybe it was like him to disappear. But not for hours at a time and definitely not without telling her first or at least contacting her.

Curiously, she stared at her phone. Was the damn thing working at all? Quickly, she hit a few buttons from memory and waited. Three rings later, it was picked up. Growling, Sam hit the disconnect button and tossed the offending gadget onto the table next to her purse. Ok, so it worked. What did that mean about Danny?

The strident musical notes of "What's This" cut through her thoughts, and with a trepid glance at the screen Sam opened the phone and placed it against her ear. "Hello?" she asked quietly. It wasn't a number that she recognized.

"Why the hell call, and then just hang up right away?"

Sam sighed and smiled, it was just Tucker. "Because I figured that you and Val were doing a lil bit of the hanky panky and didn't want to be interrupted."

His chuckle vibrated in her ear, "That's beside the point, Sammy. What's wrong? You haven't called and hung up on me like that since senior year when you accidently found your parents in the middle of-"

"Stop! Please…you say those words and Val'll be getting her jollies from a Ken doll." Sam threatened, shivering from the unpleasant memories. Walking into the living room, she flopped onto the couch and crossed her legs comfortably.

"Unhuh, well at the risk of my girlfriend's satisfaction, I'll skip ahead to the important stuff."

Sighing, Sam fell backwards onto the pillows in the corner, "Speaking of which, what's with the new number?"

"Business phone, the company gave it to me along with a bunch of other new toys. Just wanted to try it out for size." Sam could hear the pride in his voice over the line and couldn't help chuckling. Of all people, Tuck definitely deserved it, after being a technogeek for so long, this was a huge break for him. But then he continued, "And that's not the big topic here Samantha Manson. I want to know what was so wrong that you called me, your best friend, and then immediately hung up before I could fake a moan to freak you out!"

"Very funny Tuck."

"I thought so, anyways talk to me Sam. What's wrong?"

"Tuck, they screwed me over." Blinking back tears, Sam's face fell at the memory of her parent's betrayal, shutting her eyes tight she whispered brokenly, "They freaking screwed me over." In the span of one minute her entire being crumbled under the recollection.

Tucker didn't reply for a few minutes and the silence was enough to almost break Sam's heart. "Who's they Sam?" He asked quietly. In the background, Sam could hear more than one voice and she assumed that the other was Val. She could hear him telling Val that something had come up, the rest of their conversation just floated through her head.

A few minutes passed and no one said a word. "Who's they Sam?" he asked again, a thread of desperation in his voice this time.

She laughed wetly, the tears still unshed in her eyes, "Who do you think Tucker? The only people who ever made me cry."

"Your parents." His definite tone broke the dam, and Sam's eyes reflexively tightened as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. She hadn't realized that this would be so hard to talk about. Where was Danny when she needed him so badly?

"Where's Danny?" he asked, curious now. Danny wouldn't have let Sam deal with this alone. His only answer was a hiccupped sob from the other end. Sam desperately tried to hold it in, but Tucker wasn't fooled. "I'll be right over Sammy." Sam clutched at the phone, but the dial tone was the only sound on the other end. Then there was a knock at the door. Startled, Sam yelled and fell off the couch.

Carefully she crawled along the floor towards the front door. Pulling herself up, Sam peeped out the spy hole, a sigh of relief escaping. Opening it, she saw Tucker standing there with his arms wide open ready for a hug, sympathy radiating from his entire body.

So she whacked him upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell Sam?" Tucker cried out in pain, as he gingerly felt his head for blood. Sam hit hard for a girl.

"That's for scaring the hell out of me you jerk! I thought you were my parents or Eddie or something." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, glaring at the sheepish man. "I thought you would call me when you got here, not just show up on the doorstep five minutes later!"

Glancing at his hand to see if it were free of blood, Tucker winced, "Sorry Sam, but I was already on my way over here anyways."

The look she threw him was full of disdain, "Really Tuck, didn't notice. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me." Wiping her tear streaked cheeks; Sam let Tucker inside the apartment and walked back into the living room before sitting on the couch again.

Walking closely behind her, Tucker sat next to her on the couch and took her hand in his. For a minute neither said anything, just taking comfort in each other's presence. Soon though, Tucker's patience fell short and he got desperate; Sam hadn't said anything or moved for the past fifteen minutes, she just stared at a spot right above the TV without blinking.

"Sam? Wanna tell me what happened? Why did you think Eddie was at the door?" he said softly, running his hand over her loosened hair, "And what the hell did your parents do this time? I thought we got rid of that problem when you moved out."

Sam whipped her head from side to side, "I thought so too Tuck." Wrenching her hand from his grip, she dropped her head in her hands.

So she wouldn't notice, Tucker carefully pulled his phone from his pocket and walked out of the living room for a minute. It was obvious he wasn't going to get anything from her at this time. If anyone could tell him straight up what the hell was going on, it would be Danny.

But oddly, the phone rang and rang but Danny didn't pick up. Tucker had even called the emergency number that Danny had sworn up and down years ago that he would always answer. Nothing, no answer; not even his voicemail had picked up.

Quickly, Tucker walked back into the room and kneeled at Sam's feet. "Sammy, where's Danny?"

As if they were magic words, Sam lifted her head up and stared at her friend. "I don't know." She said slowly, as if her brain couldn't handle what it was trying to process, "I called him. But he never picked up." Sam blinked rapidly, trying to stem the tears Tucker could see swimming, "Tuck, I had a bad feeling a few days ago. And this is what happens."

Tucker sat back on his heels. He had never seen Sam like this. Usually, she was so strong and independent. It was like nothing could faze her. But in one fell swoop her parents and ex-boyfriend come in and ruin twenty-two years of self-actualization. "Sammy, what happened with your parents?" he asked.

Breathing deeply for a minute, Tucker could tell that she was trying to center herself before she answered. "I called my dad about a job. So he told me that he had this guy I could meet with about an interview. I went, got all dressed up too," she forced a laugh and hiccupped, "got there and found Eddie, waiting for me."

"I'm sorry? Who was there?" Tucker asked, dumbfounded. He had to have heard wrong.

The power of Sam's glare was enough to have killed a man at fifty paces, "Don't you dare make me say it again Foley." Then she closed her eyes and rested her hands against her forehead, her visage slowly losing all color until she was as pale as a corpse.

Stumbling to his feet, his legs numb from being sat on for so long, Tucker began to pace back and forth across the cream carpeted living room. So Eddie was back and Sam's parents knew about it. Not only that, but they had shoved him back in her life in the first place. And Danny was MIA. Wonderful. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Tucker stared at the slumped figure of one of his oldest and dearest friends.

He would never admit this to anyone, let alone Sam or Danny. Especially not Danny. From the very beginning, Tucker had known that Sam was Danny's just as he was hers. But, there had been a period in Tucker's life when he had been mildly attracted to Sam. She had a vitality that made other girls look dull otherwise. But luckily he now had his Valerie. Suddenly scowling, Tucker recollected how he and Val came to be. Hopefully that was all about to change for them and those memories would only be worth a good laugh in a few years.

But what in the world could have made Danny suddenly disappear like that? This just wasn't like him. According to Val there hadn't been any ghost activity lately, so it couldn't be that. Tucker smoothly sat beside Sam, taking care not to disturb or touch her.

"Sammy," he said in a low tone, "What did Eddie want?" She needed to talk about this before it festered inside. It was bad enough she had finally gotten over the bastard, but for him to come back into her life? That was just low.

"Tgifmehayob"

Puzzled, Tucker stared blankly at Sam's head, "Eh?"

Raising her head slightly, Sam mumbled, "To give me a job." Then she slumped forward again, relying on her hands to capture her entire body weight.

"So he didn't want a date?"

Sam shook her head.

"Or your hand in marriage?"

She shook her head again, this time a little more aggressively.

"How about you as his personal sex slave?"

That earned Tucker another slap along the backside of his head. Glowering at her friend, Sam finally lifted her head, sat back into the couch and crossed her arms in a huff, her pantsuit clad legs crossed.

"I was just kidding Sam," he said warily, eyeing her carefully, "So if he didn't want any of these things and just wanted to give you a job…I guess, everything's alright then."

"What?" Sam stared at him stunned, "How can you say everything is alright Tucker? Eddie. Is. Back. How is that alright?"

Tucker rolled his eyes, "This is why Danny needs to be here, you two could always reason with each other. Look, he acted like a normal person right? Did he mention any of the things he did during college?" he asked.

That caught Sam's attention. "Yeah, he did," she said, sounding puzzled, "But he said that he had never done any of those things. He sounded really hurt that I had believed them too." She turned to Tucker, her eyes confused, "Tuck, I sort of believe him. Everything that I had heard about him during school, I had never heard from him. But from other people."

Sam could see that gave Tucker a pause too. All this time, they had thought that he had been the criminal, but could he have in fact been the victim? Staring at a stain in the carpet, Sam could see from the corner of her eye that Tucker was obviously chomping at the bit to say something.

"What is it Tuck?"

"What about when he-," Tucker stopped; he couldn't even finish the sentence. The words were too horrible. What about when he forced you against the wall and said those things?

But Sam understood what he meant. That same question had been on the forefront of her mind ever since she saw Eddie.

She chose her words carefully, not wanting Tucker to get the wrong impression. "I'm not saying that he is the most wonderful man in the world Tuck. I'm saying perhaps I didn't give him enough of a chance. Maybe? I don't know," she laughed helplessly, "he said he wanted to be friends."

"Friends," Tucker snorted in disbelief, "I'm sorry, out of all of this that I just don't believe Sam."

"What can I do Tuck? I really need this job, and he's offering." Sam winced suddenly, "Though considering the way I acted at lunch, I don't think he'll give it to me now."

Tucker gave her a sympathetic look, "That bad?"

"Huh, worse." Sam snorted, "I treated him like he was an armless leper and ran out of there before the waiter could say 'May I take your order?' Yeah, I'd say it was that bad Tuck."

He shook his head morosely, "Damn Sam, you didn't even get to look at their desserts." His gaze narrowed in on Sam as she fidgeted on the couch, "What are you going to do about your parents?"

"What can I do Tucker?" Sam asked, shrugging, "They wouldn't listen to me, and it was obvious that they always had a preference for Eddie over Danny. Never mind that I love Danny." A sense of calm washed over Sam as she sat there watching Tucker as he leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed and his right arm tapping against his temple.

He was thinking so hard, that Sam could practically see the lightbulb hanging over his head as it lit up, "You could-," he started excitedly.

"No," fervent, Sam shook her head, "Listen Tuck, I'll take care of Eddie." A slight smile crossed her face when she noticed that his mouth was opened and ready to argue, "Don't worry. I think he's the least of our problems right now."

Tucker nodded, "I know, that's part of the reason I came over here." Sam stared at him blankly.

"Huh?" was her only eloquent response.

Sighing heavily, Tucker stood upright and stretched his body, the t-shirt clinging to his torso pulling upwards slightly, tugging it back down and popping his neck he walked out of the living room and into the hall way. From the couch, Sam could hear his footsteps moving steadily away from the living room.

Curious, she followed along behind him, but once in the hallway she couldn't tell where he had gone. "Tuck?" She called loudly.

"I'm in here Sam." Walking into the kitchen she saw Tucker making a sandwich at the counter.

Turning around he lifted his sandwich, grinning at the expression on Sam's face, "Hope you don't mind…I got hungry sitting there talking about all this. Got a craving for a turkey sandwich, and knowing Danny I figured you guys would have some." Pouring himself a large glass of milk, Tucker grabbed an apple and juggled his food to the table.

Pulling a chair out, Sam sat beside tucker and watched him eat the dead carcass of an unfortunate turkey. "Still don't see how you guys can do that to the poor bird. How would you feel if they ate you?" Then shaking her head, Sam raised a hand to stall his comment, "If your next sentence has any sexual innuendo involving the turkey, never mind and just tell me what in the world you meant what you said before."

Swallowing the huge bite he had just taken, Tucker gulped down half of his glass of milk before he was able to reply. "Aw Sammy, you take all the fun out of things." He said a smirk on his face.

"You only think that 'cause you're a perv Tuck." She replied, sticking her tongue out at him. Stealing his apple and ignoring his protest, Sam took a huge bite out of it. She hadn't eaten all day practically and had finally realized just how hungry she was.

"So," she said, swallowing and wiping the juice off of her lips, "what'd you mean back there when I said that Eddie was the least of our worries?"

Tucker put down his sandwich on its plate and took a deep breath, "You'd say I'm a good guy, right? Decent, upstanding…yadda yadda?" He asked.

"What is this, Seinfeld? Sure Tuck, your one of the best people I know."

Releasing his breath, Tucker smiled at her, "Thanks Sam, but that's not exactly what I meant." Leaning back, he reached deep into one of his front jean pockets and lifting something out he placed it in front of Sam, "But would you marry me?"

Stunned, Sam let her apple fall from her hands as she picked up the object before her. It was a jewelry box. And not just any type of jewelry box, if Sam knew her boxes this one was meant to hold a ring. Opening it up, voila; there was the expected ring.

It was beautiful; white gold setting with a large princess cut diamond surrounded by rubies half its size. Lifting it out of the box, Sam stared at the beauty of it. This couldn't be happening. Spooked, she quickly put it back into its box and stared at Tucker.

Nudging it across the table with the back of her hand, Sam tilted her head and looked at him warily. "What the hell is this supposed to mean Tuck? I mean I love you, but if it got back to Danny that you just proposed to me I'm pretty sure he'd kick your ass." A weak laugh escaped, her chest pounding from the shock.

"What?" Tucker asked, equally stunned. Suddenly what she meant flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning, "Oh god, no Sam!" He shook his head, laughing loudly at his mistake, "Sorry, I had no idea you'd take it what way. Besides, I really don't want Danny to mutilate me for stealing his girl." He mock winked flirtatiously at the flustered Sam.

Slowly, Sam relaxed without even realizing that she had been tense the entire time. Relieved, she glared at him, "God, don't do that to me Tuck. Nearly had a heart attack there." Picking up the box this time with a whole lot more enthusiasm, Sam tossed it back and forth between her hands, enjoying the way Tucker's eyes widened in panic, "Alrighty, so since it obviously isn't for me…and I'm guessing not your mother since she has better taste…Val?"

Plucking the box in mid air, Tucker cradled it lovingly before stowing it back inside his jean pocket. "Yeah," he said, a little breathless, "It's weird you know? For years I thought she was Danny's and then we…and it just clicked. I love her, have since high school really. But now that she's mine, I just want to make it permanent."

"Aw that's sweet. And if taken literally, kind of creepy." She smiled happily at the knowledge that soon Val wouldn't be much of a threat anymore to her and Danny's relationship though. "That's great Tuck, and I don't mean to be a downer and I'm sure she'll say yes…but don't you think it's a bit soon? I mean you two have only been dating for-"

Rubbing his hand in his hair, Tucker grinned weakly, "Over seven months."

Taken aback, Sam slapped her forehead, "That's right. For a minute I'd forgotten that you two snuck around Danny's back like that. Well, that changes everything really." She grinned at his discomfort and held up two thumbs high in the air, "Go for it!"

Taking a bite from her forgotten apple, Sam mumbled around the fruit, "Now I get why you said you were coming over here anyways. And your right," swallowing, she chuckled delicately, "Val definitely isn't the least of your worries." She snickered, "Not till the 'I Do's' anyways, and then it's too late."

Polishing off his sandwich, Tucker finished the remaining milk in his glass before commenting, "Oh like you would say no if Danny asked you." Standing up, he removed the dishes to the sink. "Well, that's really what I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks Sammy."

Together they walked to the front door, Sam trailing behind Tucker still munching on her apple. Really, it was wonderful that Tucker decided to stop by. She had desperately needed to talk to someone and besides Danny; Tucker was definitely option number two. And it had been obvious that he needed someone to talk to as well.

Standing in the doorway, wide open allowing all the sunlight to come pouring into the apartment, Tucker turned back to Sam.

"Are you sure you're alright? If you want me to stick around I can…"

She shook her head and smiled, "No, I'm fine now I think." Crossing her arms against the unusual breeze coming in through the doorway, she watched Tucker battle his internal confusion.

He didn't look too convinced, "What about your parents? And Eddie?"

She smirked, "Honestly Tuck, I think you just need to worry about Val right now. As for my parents, if they want me in their lives they'll have to make the first move now. And I'll deal with Eddie, everything'll be alright. You'll see." She patted him gently on the arm and then shoved him out of the apartment, chuckling as he stumbled down the walk. When he turned around and flipped her off she simply waved and smiled cheerfully in response.

Turning back into the apartment, she shut the door quietly behind her. Taking one last bite of her apple, Sam walked into the kitchen to throw it away and then walked back into the living room. Bending down, she picked up her cell phone where she'd dropped it when Tucker had first knocked on the door.

She did feel better from talking to Tucker, she wasn't as panicky as before when she was only left with her thoughts. Checking her watch, Sam noticed that it was around six in the afternoon. Even by normal standards, Danny should have been home for over a half an hour by now. Quickly she dialed his number, but once again was greeted by the cold, feminine automated voice that gave her no hope.

Staring at her phone, Sam made up her mind. Again she punched some numbers in the pad on her phone and placed it against her ear. This time, she was confident as the ringtone sounded that someone was going to pick up. And lo she was right.

Sitting on the couch, Sam nervously fiddled with her shirt. "Hi, Eddie…yeah I'm sorry about earlier. It was just a surprise, you know? I hadn't expected seeing you like that." Swallowing her desire to hang up, Sam pressed on, "Listen, I know before I said that I didn't think I was right for the job but I've had time to think about it and if it's still available-," She perked up at his response, "Really? That'd be wonderful. Tomorrow at the park, noon; I'll be there and ready to discuss options. Thank you, Eddie. Bye." Hanging up, she jumped up into the air and punched it for all she was worth. He hadn't changed his mind! The job was still available.

In the darkness, Danny had no concept of time. He had no idea how long he had been lying there, his body throbbing as with every minute his heart beat another pulse, that much blood seeped from his wounds. After Vlad's visit, Danny had quickly fallen asleep from desperation, he was in pain and sleep just felt natural. Waking up on the other hand, had felt like he was swimming upwards through a sea of fog.

Throughout the day, Danny just lay there thinking about what had happened earlier. How had he not seen this coming? The lack of ghostly activity usually foretold something happening, and nine times out ten Vlad was involved somehow.

But why now? It had been years since Vlad had tried to influence Danny, it had seemed as if he had given up after graduation. Course that didn't stop Vlad from interfering in Amityville occasionally, but it was normally just through his usual brigade of minions.

His torso half propped against the wall, Danny again felt his upper arm to check if it were still bleeding. Thankful, he breathed out a sigh of relief, the bleeding had finally stopped. Gingerly, he checked the rest of his body the best he could. There was really no way to tell if he had broken bones, but everything felt alright. Except for the extreme sense of lassitude that never left him, but Danny just assumed that it was due to the belt strapped to his body.

So, what the hell were Vlad's plans this time? Danny assumed it had something to do with World Domination. But if that were the case then why try and drag Danny into it? Vlad had to realize that he wouldn't do anything like that, his mom would kill him. Not to mention Sam, she had a thing about stealing things which didn't necessarily belong to a person.

God Sam, she had to be going crazy. How long had he been in here again? Groaning loudly in the stillness, Danny finally managed to sit upright against the cold stone wall. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against his knee. He should have listened to Sam when she said she'd had a feeling. But he had been so preoccupied with the idea that it would be about her and Eddie, Vlad had never even figured into his musings.

A clanging noise interrupted his reverie, startled; his head jolted up and stared at where he assumed the door to his prison was. A break in the gloom forced Danny's eyes to squint, unused to the light. A little flap towards the floor cracked open and something slipped through, sliding across the floor only to land an inch away from his feet.

Then the flap slammed shut, blocking out the light. Groping carefully along the floor, Danny felt the metallic edge of what he assumed was a tray. Moving further, he could tell that the tray had grooves that separated sections and in the sections were morsels of food.

Ravenous, Danny yanked the tray towards him with his good arm and started shoveling the food into his mouth. It was generally tasteless, but not exactly horrible though he couldn't tell from one thing to another exactly it was that he was eating.

Suddenly sick of the unidentifiable mush in front of him, Danny shoved the tray away and listened as it skittered across the floor until it hit the opposing wall with a satisfying _THUNK_. Scooting over into the corner, Danny discovered a pillow and some blankets, so snuggling down; he made himself as comfortable as possible and desperately tried to fall asleep again. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, he was still woozy enough that it took only a handful of minutes before he was passed out cold.

When he woke up next, Danny couldn't tell if it were day or night. But he could tell that there was something poking him in the side, and poking hard.

Flinging back the blankets that he had tucked feebly around his body, Danny tried to leap into a ready battle position. But with a muffled cry of pain he fell back against the wall, he had forgotten the belt and had automatically tried to shift to Danny Phantom; as it had before, the belt had electrocuted him. Struggling to remain upright, Danny stared wild eyed at the familiar figure before him.

Dressed in his usual suit, his hair swept immaculately back in his customary ponytail, Vlad smiled benignly down at his guest. "Good day Daniel. Hope you had a pleasant night's rest."

Danny swallowed in an effort to regain his voice, "Well, the room service kind of sucked," He rasped hoarsely, "What the hell do you want Plasmius?"

Still smiling, Vlad spread his arms out wide in a gesture of peace, "Why, only the best for you my dear boy. Which is why I propose we move you out of these dreary accommodations as soon as possible, for your health of course." He peered closely into Danny's face, "You are looking a little peaked Daniel."

Danny coughed harshly, "What's it matter to you? I die and you get Amityville all to yourself."

"Tut tut my boy, I never wanted you dead!" Vlad clucked his tongue disdainfully, "That is such a waste of potential and talent." He shook his head, "No, you know what I've ever truly wanted."

Danny shrugged his shoulders carefully, his upper arm still twinging painfully at the movement, "Sorry Vlad, my mother isn't in the market for a remarriage." He tried to not notice how Vlad was watching him carefully, as if he couldn't afford to miss any move.

"Is your arm still hurting you?" he asked solicitously, "I do apologize, it was a new development. I didn't have the chance to test it out properly. And your mother was only ever the tip of the iceberg of my desires Daniel."

Wobbling unsteadily on his feet, Danny tried desperately to gain some purchase on the unyielding stone floor, "Flattered Vlad, but you should know I don't go that way. Besides, my girlfriend might not like it if she has competition."

"Hmm, yes, the delightful Ms. Manson," Vlad mused out loud, "yes, we'll discuss that later. But for now," here he snapped his fingers loudly in the barren room, suddenly two figures appeared, each one taking a firm grip on Danny, "I do believe I promised you a better residence." And with a second snap, Danny felt himself being carried out of the room, up the stairs into the main part of the mansion.

Careful not to jostle him, the two ghosts carried Danny smoothly through the deserted hallways and corridors, up various flights of stairs till he was so confused and lost that even a GPS system would not have been able to help him find his way back out. Struggling didn't do him any good either since he was still so weak from whatever Vlad had shot him with the day before, they just gripped him harder and continued onward. Soon they came to a nondescript door, and opening it, Danny was carried inside to the large four poster bed where he was dropped.

Before he could move, the door was shut yet again with a final 'click' resonating through the room. Wobbling over to the door, Danny pounded his fist several times against the wood. Flinging himself from the door, he grabbed the belt around his waist and tugged firmly. Instantly he knew that was a bad idea. It seems that Vlad had added a new little feature to his parent's invention.

By yanking on it without using the proper key, Danny must have triggered something. An electrical current passed through the belt and latched onto him, causing his back to arch unnaturally and his limbs to shake involuntarily. Lying on the carpeted floor, Danny gasped for air and tried to still his twitching body. Clutching his hand to his chest, he could feel his heart trying to jump from his chest. Whatever Vlad had done to the belt, he had certainly upped the wattage. That had not been the best of experiences. Gingerly, he got to his feet and made his way to the bed. A single thought stuck in his mind.

How did Vlad know that he was dating Sam? The last time he had seen Vlad, Valerie was still his girlfriend. Did he have spies around town watching them or something? Danny shook his head, this was ridiculous. Of course Vlad had spies around Amityville, he didn't feel like he was doing anything worthwhile unless he knew absolutely everything that was going on.

Lying back on the bed, Danny stared overhead at the canopy, the sunlight flowing through the nearby window weakly throwing beams across the room. It wasn't until he noticed a distinct change in temperature that he realized there was someone in the room with him. Still preoccupied with his thoughts, Danny ignored the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Well that's just rude Daniel."

"Kiss my ass Plasmius," he replied, his tone indifferent as he tried to figure out the pattern swirling around in the canopy, his body still trembling from being electrocuted earlier.

"I do believe that Ms. Manson would be most adverse to that option."

Sitting up, Danny stared fiercely at his kidnapper, "Don't you dare bring her into this Vlad. She has nothing to do between us." Wearily, Danny wiped his forehead. This entire day was taking a huge strain on his body, he could practically feel himself wearing down and almost grinding to a complete halt.

Walking into the middle of the room, Vlad nodded in agreement, "Oh, I don't dispute that my boy. But see, as she is connected to you she cannot help but be in the middle of everything." A solemn look crossed his face, "It is by her relations with you that Samantha could ever get in serious trouble. Do you see my meaning Daniel?"

Danny desperately tried to block him out, but what he said made too much sense. He was Danny Phantom, sooner or later one of his enemies would take advantage of that and try and get at her. How could he protect her? Especially now when he couldn't even be with her because this twisted fruit loop had him locked away like some perversion of Rapunzel.

Rocking back and forth on his heels, Vlad clasped his hands before him and watched Danny as he mulled over this information. "Of course, by joining me there are ways of making sure that both you and her are taken care of and never bothered again."

The silence drug on for several long minutes. Moving slowly closer, Vlad kept a careful eye on Danny. He wasn't moving and his chest was raising and falling evenly; he was asleep. That figured, he finally makes a point that Fenton could actually work around and the frustrating child had to fall asleep. Grinding his teeth in a desperate attempt to restrain himself from shaking Danny awake, Vlad turned intangible and simply fell through the floor. He would try another day.

It was the middle of the night when Danny woke up again. The only reason he could tell was because of the lack of sunlight shining through the window, instead it was a large, pale full moon. Feeling slightly stronger, he pulled himself into the adjoining bathroom. One glance in the mirror told Danny that someone had been in the room while he was sleeping. The electro-shock belt had been removed during the night.

Delicately, Danny stripped his torn work shirt off. He was still wearing the clothes he had worn to work days ago, but they were definitely looking worse for wear. Turning in the mirror, he examined the injury on his left upper arm. It was a good thing he was right handed; the entire upper portion of his left arm was swollen and red, except where a large blood clot had formed. There, it was purple and a sickly green. Touching it carefully, he couldn't help but wince at the pain that shot through his entire upper body.

Wondering what the hell Vlad had shot him with, Danny turned on the faucet and soaking a washcloth with lukewarm water, began to dab at the blood streaks racing all the way down his arm to his wrist. Slowly, he noticed that the cut on his arm was centralize around a star shaped hole, the veins surrounding the mark standing prominent against his pale skin in an unnatural way. There was definitely something in his system that shouldn't be there.

The majority of the crusted blood washed off, Danny was desperate for a real shower. Three days of no hot water and he knew he was beginning to smell. Stripping the remaining clothes off, he stepped into the shower and began possibly the longest shower in his life. It felt like he had years to soak off.

After the hot water had finally run out, Danny wrapped a towel around his waist and wandered into the main bedroom area, scrubbing at his hair with another towel. Vlad had obviously planned to stash Danny in this room; wouldn't there be clothes as well?

Bingo, digging through the dresser he discovered boxers, jeans, t-shirts and socks. In the closet were several pairs of shoes, ranging from tennis, loafers, flip flops and dress shoes. Whistling low, Danny marveled that Vlad did all this. He must have searched through Danny's clothing for all the right sizes, because everything fit perfectly. Carefully, Danny tried to steer his thoughts away from Vlad searching through his underwear drawer; that was just too disturbing to contemplate.

Dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a shirt, Danny padded back to the bathroom and searching through the cabinet discovered bandages and ointments. Wrapping his arm up, Danny tugged hard. During his shower, the clot had come away and the injury was bleeding freely again.

Flipping off the bathroom light, Danny moved to the center of the room and stood there. Silence, pure silence; he knew Vlad was the only human who lived in the mansion, but were there ghost's that did too? Walking to the door, he tried the handle. Too easy, he knew it wouldn't have opened but the human in him had wanted to try. Stepping back, he took a deep breath and focused on changing to Danny Phantom.

But nothing happened; the normal cool feeling didn't wash over him. Glancing down to make sure, he could tell that he was still in the plaid pj pants and t-shirt that Vlad had left for him. Ok, so the supernatural way wasn't going to work either. A quick glance around the room told him that using the phone was out of the question as well because there simply wasn't one. He was stymied.

Danny made his way to the window, his one link to the outside world. The cool moonlight washed over him through the glass as he gazed at Vlad's backyard. There was nothing there, no trees, shrubs, flowers, not even any disgusting statues erected in Vlad's form. It was just grass.

Frustrated by the lack of distraction, Danny turned back to the bed. But before he made it, something caught his eye. There was a TV directly across from the bed, but on top of it was a video cassette that he could have sworn wasn't there before.

Picking up the tape, he noticed there was a note attached. Reading out loud he recited, "Just thought this might catch your interest Daniel. Please enjoy." Hoping to god it wasn't some perverted video, Danny popped it into the VCR.

Back on the bed he made himself comfortable as the tape came to life on the screen. At first the focus was fuzzy, and the camera wasn't focused on anything in particular. But soon things came into view that Danny recognized. It was Amity Park. He could tell because the fountain was prominent in the shot, as well as the bushes around where he and Sam had more than one fake-out make-out back in high school.

There were several figures walking around the park, most of them obviously couples with their arms wrapped lovingly around one another. Watching this, Danny felt a pang, he and Sam should have been doing that. Instead he was being held hostage by some crazed geriatric. Looking closer, Danny was surprised to see that one of the women looked an awful lot like Sam.

She was tall for a woman and slender, dressed all in black. The man she was next to though made her look short in comparison, and if Danny hadn't been positive that it wasn't the case, he would have thought the man was himself. For a few minutes, he sat there watching the video as the camera continually focused on that specific couple.

Then the woman did something that gave Danny a pause. She laughed, gently placing her hand on the man's arm and tossed her shoulder length black hair. But it was her smile that caught Danny's breath. That woman didn't just look like Sam, it was Sam.

His eyes narrowed now, Danny focused on the man standing beside his girlfriend. He was tall, about as tall as Danny was himself. He had black hair as well, and was fairly muscular. But it was obvious that his muscles were the work of a gym, not through actual physical labor. And he was dressed in jeans, but he wore them as if they were uncomfortable. Suddenly, the camera zoomed in on Sam and the unknown man. Danny could see Sam's stunningly amethyst eyes, and the man's golden hazel ones.

When had this video been taken? How in the world did Sam know this man, because it was obvious that she did by the way she was acting around him. Was it through her parents?

A sudden thought gave him a start, had she replaced him?

Laughing at himself, Danny slapped his head. That was ridiculous, he had only been stuck in Vlad's place for two days. How could Sam have found someone new in just two days? She wasn't that type of girl. Besides, she loved him.

Watching the couple though, Danny couldn't be positive. She said she loved him, but how could he be sure? He knew he loved her, was that enough?

Watching further Danny could see something was wrong. Sam was smiling, polite and winsome. But he could tell that she was also on her guard around this man. She didn't speak with her hands like usual, and her arms were unusually crossed before her chest in a protective movement. Also, she continually checked her cell phone and watch.

He knew his Sam and he could tell that she may have known this man, but she wasn't as comfortable as he had thought before. Leaving the warm bed, Danny moved over to the VCR and ejected the tape before it was finished playing. He had seen enough, and when he got out he'd ask Sam what was going on.

As if remembering something, Danny walked back into the bathroom and grabbed his pants. Digging around in the pockets, his hand clutched around something as he drew it back out; opening his fist Danny smiled to see that the ring hadn't fallen out of his pocket during the chaos of the past few days. It was the ring his father had given him years ago for Sam. Twisting it caressingly back and forth between his fingers, Danny tried to memorize every facet and closing his eyes he imagined giving it to Sam. Not as an engagement ring, no it was way too soon for that. But as a promise ring for the future; he just hoped that they had a future now.

Too jazzed to sleep, Danny wrapped himself up in the bed's comforter and sat in a chair facing the viewless window. He sat there the rest of the night, staring at the sky, worried about his family and friends, the ring twisting unconsciously in his hands.

Downstairs, Vlad sat behind a large and ornate oak desk as he watched his security cameras. This wasn't going the way he had planned. When he'd had Skulker drag Danny into the dungeon, Vlad had figured that a few days down there and Danny would have been begging to be released. Yet he was going on his third day and so far nothing. Resting his chin on his steepled fingers, Vlad watched Danny snuggled deeper into the comforter and focus on the pale moon overhead through the window.

When he had gone in there earlier in the night, Vlad had made sure that the anti-ghost security devices were positioned all around the room, both inside and out so Danny was unable to shift into his Phantom persona. Just yet more little toys that Jack and Maddie would never realize were missing until it was too late.

But Vlad was curious about what Danny had been thinking when he'd watched the tape. There had been several different expressions that crossed his face, each one as inscrutable as the last. It was like seeing Michelangelo's David and expecting him to stick out his tongue and cross his eyes at some tourists. Daniel hadn't raged and stormed against Sam and the unnamed youth in the video, he sat there stoically, barely even blinking.

Focused on the sight of a calm and collected Daniel Fenton via the security camera, Vlad didn't turn around when he felt another presence in the room.

"Yes?"

Skulker shifted uncomfortably, his gadgets clanking gently against each other the sound echoing harshly in the basement, "Sir, he is back."

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, again? Didn't the child have a life? "Very well Skulker."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to ignore your guests?" Eddie asked as he stepped just inside the concealed basement room. His normally immaculate hair was slightly windswept and there was a possessive gleam in his eye.

Turning his chair around, Vlad faced his ever persistent partner, "Good evening Edward. To what may I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Smirking, Eddie ignored the question, walked further into the room and sat in the chair next to Vlad to stare at the television screen. "What's he been doing since he joined casa del Vlady?" His smirked shifted into a leer as he watched his unknowing competition stare into the nighttime sky.

Vlad shrugged casually, "He viewed the tape earlier, but since then he has simply been doing that," he gestured at the screen at the immovable figure.

Eddie was shocked, "He hasn't done anything?"

"I believe that he is either in denial or shock at the moment. What would you do if you saw your girlfriend with another attractive male?" Vlad smiled cruelly at the stony expression on Eddie's face, "Wait, you already have done that."

Turning off the screen, together they watched Danny wink out of existence then Vlad faced Eddie, "How did it go with Ms. Manson?"

Running his hands through his already mussed hair, Eddie growled low in his throat, "Everything was perfect. The park, the weather, _me_; she fell for the job spiel. According to her she's now gainfully employed as a member of my faculty." Rising from his seat, Eddie paced back and forth on the stone floor, his hands shaking from reigned in frustration, "But she was guarded, she still doesn't trust me. And I could tell she was worried about _him._" he pointed at the empty screen malevolently, "I need more time with her. Keep working on him till she's mine."

"Of course," Vlad nodded, "I have developed something that might be useful in this case. But I'll need to test it first," His eyes flickered to where Skulker was waiting patiently along one of the walls.

Eddie laughed, "Fine, test it. But soon; I am not naturally a patient man, Vlady. And this is pushing me a little too far at the moment." Still grinning widely at the unnerved look on Vlad's face, he tipped his nonexistent hat in Vlad and Skulker's directions, "Boys. I'll be around." Then smoothly he walked out of the room.

"I really don't like that boy." Vlad said with a sigh to Skulker.

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Since we're only up to about thirty-ish reviews right now, we need more! Call me greedy lol, but there won't be an update till there are more reviews. Sorry! But suggestions, likes/dislikes would be really helpful. I have plans, but i want to hear what YOU the reader wants.


	7. The Vile Vial

Disclaimer- I don't own

Blinking dimly in the blinding sunlight that was pouring from the window before him, Danny futilely tried to block it with his uninjured arm. Groaning, he stood up and gingerly stretched wincing at the pulling of his arm. Rolling his shoulders, Danny walked across the room to the dresser and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

His hair was in disarray, tangled in places and smooshed in others. His eyes were overshadowed by the haunted look that came from the large bruises that were beneath his normally cheery blue eyes. Danny's skin had a new sallow tint that he had never noticed before, and his mouth was pinched. He didn't know the man standing there and staring into the mirror he was supposed to be looking into.

Running his hands through his hair in an effort to tame the tangles, Danny sighed in resignation. He had been stuck in Vlad's mansion for days now, God only knew exactly how many. The door was locked, the window nailed shut. The room was surrounded by anti-ghost technology that made it impossible for him to phase into Phantom. And to top it all off, no one knew where in the world he was; for all Sam knew he had left her and disappeared. And that was something he couldn't stand for her to believe.

Still staring into the mirror, he carefully began to unwrap the bandage around his upper arm. Sucking in a harsh breath, Danny struggled not to groan from the pain. The bandage finally off, he critically looked at the puncture mark. It looked worse in the daylight than it had the night before. The skin around it was swollen, red and puffy while beneath the skin he could see that there was definitely a green tint to his arm. Throwing the bloody bandage in the trash can beside the dresser, Danny moved into the bathroom and began rummaging in the cabinets for more bandages and ointment.

Slathering his arm with the astringent smelling ointment, Danny ignored the sound of someone walking into his room. Humming softly, he tightly wound the clean bandage around the injury and grimaced at the tight feeling. Walking back into his room, Danny finally released his pent up groan at the sight of Vlad sitting carefully on the edge of his bed.

"Nice to see you too, little badger."

Ignoring the niceties, Danny stalked up to Vlad and clenched his fists firmly. With a sick sense of pleasure, it took almost all of Danny's will power not to strangle the smirking face of the man standing before him. "What the hell did you shoot me with Plasmius?"

A small smile crossed Vlad's face as he watched the pain contort his guest's expression, "If you remember correctly Daniel, I never actually shot you. It was-"

"I don't give a damn who it was." He growled in response, "It was by your order. What the hell did you hit me with?"

"Just a small dose of an ectoranium and saline solution" Vlad shrugged innocently, "How was I to know that since you're not completely ghost you would react this way?"

A gurgle of laughter broke from Danny, "Oh, so that makes it better? You injected me with something that you had no idea would react with my chemical makeup."

Reaching a hand into his pocket, Vlad waved a small vial before Danny's face, "If you'd like then, I have the antidote. It should clear up whatever is in your system."

A hand stretched before Danny, and he was shocked to realize that it was his. Hesitating in mid-reach he stared at the small bottle filled with a clear liquid. "What is it?" Self-consciously, he rubbed his arm gently. He'd be damned if he allowed Plasmius to stick some other crap into his body just for sick pleasure.

"Does it matter? I mean as long as it clears your system?" He gestured at the seeping bandage, a tell-tale blood stain already showing through, "Which you might want soon. As far as I can tell, whatever it is doing to your body Daniel, it will not be pleasant."

"I can stand to lose a little blood."

An uncharacteristic snort came from Vlad, "Blood yes, but motor functions? Bodily functions? How about the loss of your senses?"

"If it pisses you off, it just might be worth the wonderful pain Vlady." Danny's grin was cut short by a spasm of pain that shot up his arm.

"Hmm, yes, so I see. Just think, the sooner you feel better, the sooner you may try and kick my ass."

Ignoring Vlad, Danny walked over to the dresser and started digging through the clothes trying to find a t-shirt. Finding one, Danny struggled to put it, his arm not quite bending properly. Finally straightening it around his body, Danny faced Vlad again. "Look you fruitloop, I won't be 'trying' anything. I could kick your ass without my arm."

Vlad rose smoothly from the bed and grabbed Danny firmly by the arm, watching as he writhed desperately against the pain. Releasing him, Vlad smirked when Danny fell back against the dresser, gasping for breath.

"Breathe through your nose Daniel, I hear it helps with the pain." Trying to regroup, Danny turned his back on Vlad and breathed deeply in an effort to ease the pain jolting his entire body. How could this pain escalated so quickly?

"You might not want to use up all of your energy Daniel," Vlad suggested slyly, "If you continue fighting the pain it'll just drain you all the more quickly." Danny, focused on retracting the pain, barely heard the footsteps behind him until Vlad came into view at his side.

Danny watched as Vlad carefully placed the vial in front of him. He watched in the mirror as Plasmius walked towards the door.

Turning back, Vlad faced Danny once again, "Oh and if you change your mind. Just drink the vial, it should take effect soon afterwards." Having said that, Vlad turned and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind him and in the silence Danny could hear the lock being turned.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The harshly musical tones grated through the late night atmosphere in the darkened room. On the bedside table, the phone vibrated lightly across the surface from the volume of the ringtone. From the cocoon of covers, a slim pale arm shot out and began to grope for the offending object. Clutching it tightly, the arm and phone disappeared once again beneath the covers.

Cradled in her comforting fort of sheets and pillows, Sam groggily held the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she croaked sleepily, blinking into the stifling darkness.

"Sam? Sam! Where's Danny?" demanded a high pitched, feminine voice that she knew too well, but hadn't heard in a while.

Slowly, Sam sat up in bed and wiped her face of sleep, "Jazz? It's…" glancing quickly at her alarm clock Sam growled into the phone, "three in the godforsaken morning! Couldn't this have waited until it was a sane hour? Preferable sometime around eleven?" Groaning into the empty room, Sam flopped back onto the king size bed and tried to ignore the urge to fall asleep on her boyfriend's annoying older sister.

Listening closely, she could hear Jazz huff on the other end, "No! I've been trying to get a hold of Danny for the past few days, but he's not answering his cell phone. Where is he?"

Silent for a few minutes, Sam debated on what to tell the older woman. She could be brutally honest and just blurt out that her much loved baby brother had been missing for a couple of days. And then add in that Sam had been driving herself spare with worry, between searching for him and working for her new boss, who just happened to be her old boyfriend. Sighing tiredly, she knew that at this time in the morning no one was up to a lengthy conversation. "Jazz, look right now is not a good time to talk about this. I'll call you tomorrow and give you the run down ok?"

"Sam, just tell me. Is he alright?"

The urge to cry hit Sam with the full force of a Mack truck. Desperately trying to stifle her sniffles and stem the ache in her eyes and nose, Sam breathed deeply in an effort to calm herself before she answered Jazz. Oblivious to many things Jasmine Fenton was, but when it came to emotions she was oddly on target most of the time. "I hope so." Staring at the cell phone in her hand, Sam ignored the tiny insistent sound of Jazz, hit the end button and threw it to the other end of the room where it became buried in the mounds of Danny's clothing she hadn't bothered to pick up yet. When she found him, then she would yell at him about leaving such a messy room.

If she ever found him.

The next morning found Sam sitting at the kitchen table much earlier than she would normally have woken up; usually on the weekends she never crawled out of bed until after nine in the morning. But after Jazz's late night phone call Sam hadn't seemed to be able to fall back asleep. She had spent the rest of the night tossing, turning; staring at the ceiling the room had shrunk in on her and the air turned arid and hot. Finally, sick of sweating and picking out objects in the shadows, Sam had pulled herself out of bed.

A sharp glance at the kitchen clock told Sam that it wasn't even six in the morning yet. Cursing Jazz, Danny, Tucker and everyone else she knew heatedly underneath her breath, Sam set the coffee machine to splutter out the thick liquid needed to get her brain working in the morning.

Vacantly she stared around at the empty kitchen while she was waiting for her caffeine fix to be percolated. Why had Jazz called so early in the morning anyways? She was in California at the moment, studying at Berkley trying to get her masters in psychology. It had to have been at least a couple of months since she and Danny had spoken, so why now? His parents? Had they called her? But they hadn't even called Sam. The swirl of confusion in her head kept going round and around in circles, each one only meeting another and so they began again.

The dull beeping sound of Danny's ancient coffee machine finally broke through Sam's thoughts. Absently she fixed a cup with lots of sugar and sat back down to wait. If she knew Jazz, and she did, then she would be calling as soon as it was considered daylight.

Sure enough, it wasn't half an hour later when the phone cut through the silence. Abandoning her icy coffee, Sam plucked the wireless handset and took a deep breath, "Hello?"

"I gave you until dawn, Sam. Now what's going on?" the insistent voice of Jasmine Fenton assaulted Sam's ears. Like Danny, it had been a while since Sam had seen or even spoken to his older sister. But no one could possibly forget her over eagerness and bossy personality.

"Jazz, where are you anyways? I thought you were in California studying; what was with the random phone call at three AM?" Resigned to a long conversation, Sam tiredly took a sip of her drink and grimaced at the taste.

Even over the line, Sam could hear the huffy tone of Jazz's voice grow fierce. "Don't you dare change the subject Samantha Manson. I just wanted to talk to my brother and couldn't get a hold of him, is that a crime now and days?"

Resting her forehead in her hand, Sam sighed, "Chill Jazz. Danny just hadn't mentioned that he's talked to you lately."

"Well of course not, because he hasn't been answering his phone! Where is that damn brother of mine? Mom and Dad are even starting to notice that he hasn't been around as much as usual. Besides, I'm in town for a few days and I wanted to see him."

Hearing Jazz speak, Sam could practically feel the blood drain from her face. Weakly she focused on the phone in her hand and the voice buzzing in her ear. The Fenton's had noticed? But they never noticed anything! "Y-you're parent's have noticed something, you said Jazz?" She asked softly, hating her weakness and hating the strained tone in her voice.

"Well, yeah…but it was weird. It was like they first noticed that there hadn't been any ghost activity for a while, including Danny Phantom and then that for some reason no one had spoken to Danny in a while either." Laughter burst into Sam's ear, "Man, I love my parents but the amount they repress…"

Sam closed her eyes and allowed the laughter to flow through her mind, could she do this? With no alternative, Sam swallowed and spoke quietly into the receiver, "Jazz, look…there is something about Danny. I wanted to figure it out before anyone noticed but I guess that was really stupid of me-"

"Something about Danny? Damnit Sam!" Wincing at the outburst, all Sam could do was to allow the older woman to rant at her.

"It wasn't my fault Jazz! Look, one day he was here and then later that afternoon it was like he had disappeared…his phone has been disconnected and no one knows where he went."

At the quiet that greeted this revelation, Sam cringed. That was not the way she wanted to tell Jazz. Originally, she'd had it all planned out; first she would have invited Jazz over to talk there'd be tea, cookies, more than likely some alcohol. Then they would have talked and been calm, but from the heavy breathing that was coming over the phone that was obviously out of the question now.

"Danny's missing? And you didn't call me? SAM!" Jazz cried loudly. Tears began to fall gently down Sam's pale cheeks at the sound of Jazz sobbing in pain over the phone. This was definitely not the way it should have happened. Listening closely, Sam could hear Jazz panting in an effort to catch her breath, "I'm coming over. Call Tucker. We need to plan." Then she left Sam staring dumbly at the phone in her hand, the dial tone humming loudly.

Clicking the off button on the phone, she placed it gently into the table beside her half empty cup of coffee and quickly wiped away the salty tears trailing down her cheeks. It hurt, knowing that she had been wrong. Honestly, it had never occurred to Sam to call Danny's family; there was really nothing they could have done. But of the three of them, Jazz was the one with the most knowledge of Danny's alter ego and the one that felt like she knew best.

Inwardly, Sam groaned. It was still all her fault, if she hadn't gotten so wrapped up because Eddie was back in her life and at the prospect of a career in her life, Danny might have already been saved. A white hot sizzle of determination pulsed up and down Sam's body; now that she had a purpose in sight the idea of finding Danny was taking over her entire being. Eagerly, she grabbed phone and dialed Tucker's phone number.

"Hello?" a giggle greeted her. Slightly disturbed, Sam pulled back and gazed warily at the phone before placing it back against her ear. God help her if they were doing what it sounded like.

"Uh…is Tucker home?" She asked slowly.

Pressing her ear flush against the ear piece, Sam listened intently to the background noises. "Tuck baby, someone's on the phone for you…mmhmm…get rid of them and…yeah baby, I'll do that alright." Another giggle punctuated the murmur to Sam's disgust. It was bad enough that she knew they slept together, but did they have to do it while they were on the phone with her?"

"Valerie, just put the idiot on the phone, it's an emergency." She demanded in a hard voice; there was no way she was going to allow that slut to ruin the first real chance of finding and rescuing Danny from where ever in the hell he was at the moment.

Suddenly Valerie's tone changed, "Oh. It's you," she replied snidely, "well, he's a little busy at the moment. Can't it wait?"

Frustrated, Sam had finally had enough. She had reached her breaking point and was finally starting to see red. What an ironic color. "No you scarlet man eater, just put Foley on the phone now! What part of emergency don't you fucking get?" She yelled into the phone.

"Uh, Sam I think she got the meaning of emergency. Don't worry, now what in the hell is going on over there?" Blinking rapidly, it took Sam a minute or two to realize that it was Tucker talking.

"Tuck?" she questioned, just in case.

"What, do I sound like a woman? Now what is going on and tell me why the hell you just bitched at my fiancée." Desperately she wanted to tell him that she had in fact toned down her bitching, but figured that if she wanted to be invited at all it might be a good idea to keep her mouth shut about that for now.

Energized she got up and threw her coffee cup into the sink before making her way down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Putting Tucker on speakerphone, Sam buried herself into the closet trying to find something clean to wear. "So I guess congratulation is in order? That's great Tuck. But listen, you need to get yourself out of lil Ms. S&M and get your ass over here. Jazz is in town and somehow found out that something was wrong with Danny." She called loudly, her voice slightly muffled by the mountain of clothing.

"What?" Tucker's magnified voice bounced throughout the entire room, his surprise colored in every syllable, "How'd that happen? I thought she was in Alaska or Texas or something studying like she always does."

Wiggling out of the closet of chaos, Sam straightened and posed with a black t-shirt in front of her chest as she answered dryly, "Close, California. But yeah, and now apparently their parents know that he's missing too."

"But…how?" he stuttered loudly through the connection, "They never notice anything! Give me five minutes and I'll be there and you can share the whole story."

"Don't bring Valerie." Sam insisted, the inflection in her voice brooking no objection and Tucker knew that as he quickly agreed and hung up. Ignoring the dial tone that invaded the normally silent bedroom, Sam stared at her reflection in the mirror.

It was the usual, the black hair tossed up into a pony tail a pair of sweats on her body and her favorite bunny slippers on her feet. But for some reason the usually comforting image of herself repulsed Sam this morning. Turning away and towards the bed, she roughly pulled on the shirt in her hand and a pair of jeans before running out of the room and away from the mirror.

She was in the laundry room, shoving clothing into the machine when the doorbell rang finally. Slamming the top down, Sam hustled down the hallway. Peering through the spy hole, she smiled weakly at the sight of Jazz and opened the door for her.

"Hey, Tucker's on his way." Sam told her, as Jazz barreled her way into the apartment and threw her coat onto a chair in the living room area.

Turning around, she crossed her arms and cast a baleful glare at Sam, "Good. Then he can back me up when I ask you, why the hell you didn't call me. Or, didn't try and find Danny. I thought you loved him Sam!" Shouted Jazz at the top of her voice, her arms uncrossed and thrown out into the air to gesture emphatically. Her normally calm turquoise eyes, just like her mother's, were ice cold and seemed to demand an answer right away.

There was nothing that Sam could say back. What Jazz had just said summed up her feelings in a nutshell. Danny had been missing for a while now, no sign of where he had gone off to. Why hadn't she done anything about it? Looked for clues or talked to people…it made no sense to her rational mind. Nor to Jazz's apparently, at least that's the impression Sam got from the expression on the older woman's face.

Scared of Jazz for the first time in their relationship, Sam shook her head, "I have no idea Jazz, I swear. I…you…Danny is alive, I know that much. I have to have faith in that at least." She said quietly as she walked into the living room with Jazz following closely behind her. Sitting on the couch, Sam stared out the window; her leg jiggling slightly in anticipation as she impatiently willed for Tucker to get there quickly, she needed back up desperately.

Jazz had pointedly refused to sit next to her and instead sat on the laz-ee boy chair in the corner of the room, her arms and legs crossed. Her entire aura seemed to radiate intense fury and Sam knew it was because she had been left out of the loop. Once Jazz had finally realized what was going on with her brother and his friends when they were freshman, she had been the one to insist she stick around to help. And yet here she was again, out of the loop and full on pissed.

The chime of the doorbell was a relief to Sam as she bolted from the living room to Jazz's surprise and dashed over to the front door.

"Oh thank God you're here Tuck, she's about to-" Without even bothering to see who it was first, Sam started rambling as soon as she had yanked open the door. But as soon as she started, she stopped. It wasn't Tucker at the door. "Uh, Eddie! What are you doing here?" she asked quickly in shock. It was a Saturday, she wasn't obligated to work. So what in the world was he doing at her apartment?

"Sam? What's going on, is that Tucker? 'cause if it is, you know you can't hide from me. I want to talk about Dan-wait, you're not Tucker." Sam inwardly groaned as Jazz came up behind her. She knew that if she turned around there would be a puzzled look on the woman's face that would immediately demand more answers than she was willing to give at the moment.

Eddie stared at her, his golden hazel eyes impossible to read, "Tucker? Is that your boyfriend Sam? Can I meet him?" A small quirk of a grin crossed his mouth and Sam blinked at the sinister appeal of it.

"Uh," stammered Sam, finally realizing what someone meant when they said they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, "No, Eddie, sorry. Tucker's not my boyfriend, he's just my best friend-"

Now beside her, Jazz grasped the edge of the door firmly and wrested it from Sam's grip. Ignoring the pleading glance from the brunette, Jazz stuck her hand out towards the handsome man staring at her in confusion, "Hi, I'm Jasmine Fenton. I'm Sam's boyfriend Danny's older sister."

Quickly Sam took the reins of the introductions, "Edward Haverstein III, Jazz. Jazz, Eddie is my employer. Ok, well I guess I'll see you Monday then Eddie, bye!" Smoothly she ignored his surprised protests as she harshly hip checked Jazz back into the entry way and almost slammed the door shut.

Placing her back against the door she faced Jazz and growled, "Why the hell did you do that?"

Ignoring the death glare directed her way, Jazz stared dumbstruck over Sam's shoulder and pointed at the door, "That's your boss?"

Warily, Sam nodded.

Jazz's jaw dropped, "He's gorgeous!" then a calculating gleam appeared in her eye, "So that's why you haven't been looking for Danny. That Eddie guy; well Sam, I never pegged you for that kind of woman but-"

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Sam loudly, her own jaw hitting the floor, "You think that just because Danny hasn't been found yet that I'm cheating on him with Eddie? Jazz I can't believe you'd think that! " She was stunned that Jazz thought she was cheating on Danny and with Eddie, of all the things to be accused of!

Blatantly, Jazz looked Sam up and down and then smirked, "What else am I supposed to think Sam? He's hot, you're pretty and Danny's missing…it all makes sense if you just think about it logically." Sam made to cover herself self-consciously, feeing slightly naked from the look Jazz had sent at her, and then stopped. This was nonsense, Jazz knew her too well to think this.

"Knock, knock…sorry, did I interrupt something?" Tucker asked cheerfully as he poked his head around the door.

"No."

"Yes."

The two women glared at each other and then simultaneously at Tucker, "Get in here!" they growled at him . Startled, he quickly obeyed. Walking into the apartment, he slowly shut the door behind him, his eyes fixed on each of the pissed off females before him.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

Standing to her fullest height, Jazz pointed dramatically at Sam and declared, "She's cheating on Danny with her boss!"

Sam snorted disgustedly, "Why in the world would I want to cheat on my boyfriend with my ex-boyfriend Jazz?" she demanded, rolling her eyes at the accusation. Jazz blinked in befuddlement.

"Ex-boyfriend?"

Tucker slapped his forehead in exasperation, "Whooo boy. Lucky for you ladies Tucker got here just in time to stall WWIII." Walking behind them, he poked and prodded them none too gently until they were corralled in the living room once again.

Shoving them both down onto the couch, Tucker eyed both women closely. Even he could see there was something wrong with Jazz. Catching Sam's questioning gaze, he nodded once as she smiled in understanding. Clapping his hands together, he smiled winningly at them, "Ok, so who wants to start?"

Jazz's hand shot up in the air, narrowly missing Sam's ear. When Tucker nodded at her, she started to rant, "What in the world were you two thinking? Danny suddenly becomes missing and you don't tell anyone? I would have expected this of Tucker, but not you Sam." Suddenly, tears glistened in her eyes as they slowly cascaded down her cheeks.

Sheepishly, Tucker and Sam could only stare at each other in embarrassment. Reaching over, Sam gently patted Jazz's shoulder, "I'm so sorry Jazz, we weren't thinking. But we'll find him alright?" Sobbing, Jazz nodded before launching herself at Sam and began to cry in earnest on her shoulder.

"Oomph," grunted Sam as the full weight of Jazz clung to her.

Worried, Tucker looked on, "Jazz, what's wrong? This isn't like you at all…first you accuse Sam of cheating on Danny, then you're crying…"

A light bulb flashed over Sam's head and she stared at Tucker in shock, "Jazz?" she murmured quietly, "Jazz, are you pregnant?" The sobbing increased and Jazz's body shook with the effort as she nodded into Sam's shoulder.

"Oh Jazz, it's alright. Is that really why you came home?"

Pulling away, Jazz sniffled and gulped down deep soothing breathes as she nodded, "Yeah, I-I didn't want to tell m-mom and d-dad alone. So I tried calling Danny, but he wasn't answering and I got worried. Stupid hormones," she muttered crossly under her breath.

Sam hugged her tightly, gesturing for Tucker to join in, which he did grudgingly.

Laughing, Jazz extricated herself from the hug fest and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, "Thanks guys. But you know I'm still pissed that you didn't call and tell me." She slugged Sam gently on the shoulder, "Or that you didn't tell me that you had a hunk for a boss! What was his name again?"

"Eddie," Tucker glanced at Sam questioningly, "Sam, how does Jazz know Eddie?"

Swallowing the bile that had appeared in her throat, Sam shivered slightly, "it was really random Tuck, he just appeared out of nowhere at the door." She cocked her head to the side and looked at Tucker and Jazz intently, "You know," she mused out loud, "I don't ever remember telling him where I lived."

Tucker's grin was more than slightly eerie as he looked at Jazz and Sam in satisfaction, "Ladies, I think we finally know where to begin Operation Phantom Search."

Both Sam and Jazz looked at him, confusion coloring their faces, "Huh?" they echoed.

Tucker was excited, he'd had an idea. "Think about it. Sam, you've never told him where you lived right?"

She nodded slowly, still not seeing where he was going with this. "But Tuck, he could have just looked me up in the…" her eyes widened as the epiphany dawned on her," yellow pages. But I'm not listed in the apartment, I'm still listed with my parents." She snapped her fingers loudly, "Tuck, I hate to say it but I think you've got something there."

"Am I missing something?" Jazz complained loudly, her gaze twisting between the two like a spectator at a tennis match.

Sam's face glowed with the prospect of a lead in finding Danny, "Eddie was a jackass of a boyfriend. But when I saw him again a few weeks ago he offered me a job and I thought nothing of it, because he has been kindness personified. But I never told him Danny's name, or where I live, and he's been awfully attentive this past week." She grinned, "Tuck thinks that Eddie can lead us to Danny."

Jazz gasped, "Really? Oh!" she flew up from the couch and collided with Tucker, squeezing him tightly in happiness. Ignoring the gasps of pain from the man in her arms, Jazz twisted around and faced Sam, "What the hell are we waiting for?" she asked joyfully, "let's hunt that bastard down!"

Stunned, Tucker wrapped his arms around her and glared at the smirking Sam, "Mood swings?" he guessed.

Chuckling she nodded, "Mood swings."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sitting on the edge of the king size bed in his prison, Danny stared at the small vial across the room that was mocking him. The vial that was apparently filled with the antidote to whatever was destroying his system right this very minute; Danny could feel the alien liquid make its way throughout his body.

Tearing his gaze away from the clear liquid, instead, Danny watched his hand as it tried to make a fist. It had only been a few hours since Vlad had left him alone in the room and already he could feel his strength leaving him. He could no longer tighten his fingers into a fist capable of punching a dent in Technus' latest invention. Weakly, he allowed his hand to drop uselessly beside his thigh.

Defeated for the time being, but not beaten, Danny slumped forward. What was he going to do? In this condition there was no way in hell he'd be able to make a break for it from Vlad's fun house of terror. Desperately, he hefted his body from the bed and stumbled towards his only link to the outside world.

He had been here for at least a week by now. He'd been mentally keeping a count of the days, but soon enough he felt like he'd have to pull a Tom Hanks on Castaway and start marking the walls or something. Leaning against the window frame, Danny closed his eyes against the dizzy sway that took over his body. Sudden movements had slowly begun to take a toll on him. Carefully, he opened his eyes and rested his forehead against the cool window pane. The gentle icy feeling was a comfort in the stifling atmosphere his luxurious prison had become, and it helped to remind him of the feeling when he used to go ghost.

On the other side of the window it was overcast. The clouds had rolled in until there were only a few spots of sunshine dotting the barren landscape. Just like other days before, there was nothing to actually look at in Vlad's backyard, it was only the knowledge that there was something beyond the room that kept bringing him to the window every day. There weren't even any birds fluttering around to give the pretence of life.

A sharp rap on the door was all the warning given to Danny before Vlad strode into the room, his smirk firmly in place. From his peripheral vision, Danny noticed that Vlad saw the still full vial; a harsh look had crossed his face at the sight of it, only serving to intensify Danny's resolution to not drink the stuff.

"I see that you still haven't taken me up on my generous offer Daniel." Carefully, Danny tried to control his automatic impulse to shiver. Vlad was not in a good mood at this revelation.

"I feel stronger." He lied.

Form behind him, Danny could hear the footsteps as they crossed the room, slowed down and then picked up speed until Vlad was standing next to him. A hand was laid on his shoulder, a gesture that, to Danny, was meant to be reassuring was anything but. Sharply, he shrugged it off then immediately had to harshly bite his lip to keep from groaning because of the pain. "Daniel, there is no need to lie to me. I can see the toll this is taking upon you. Pale, weak, unable to even stand up straight."

Desperate to appear strong, Danny forced his hand into a fist, preparing to punch Vlad as soon as he had worked up the strength. A laugh cut through his concentration. Surprised, he looked at Vlad.

"Dear boy! Do you not even realize that your hand is shaking? I highly doubt you'll be exercising any violence soon." Chuckling, Vlad touched Danny's hand lightly with two fingers. As if a dead weight, the hand dropped and hung there swaying gently, Danny panting from exhaustion.

"This is ridiculous." Vlad muttered, turning around he left Danny at the window sill and walked towards the door, "If you are too stubborn to even try and save your life then I guess your parents, sister, friends and even Miss Manson don't mean much to you."

Danny didn't even hear the door shut, he was too busy thinking on Vlad's parting words. Is that what this looked like? That he didn't care about his family…friends…Sam?

If Danny was going to be honest with himself he had to admit that he was a little surprised that Sam and Tucker hadn't come barging in a couple of days after his disappearance. Only by going through his mental catalogue of memories with the three of them could Danny convince himself that they still needed him, that they could possibly miss him at all.

But even if they did come and rescue him, what good would he be if he were weak and useless? Slowly, so as to not become lightheaded again, Danny shifted his body around until he could clearly see the tiny bottle on the dresser. A few mouthfuls, that's all it looked like was in there. A swallow or two and he would be himself again.

Taking a step forward, Danny stumbled and by the very weight of his body was dragged to the ground. Groaning he rested for a minute his face squished into the scratchy carpet, trying to conserve his strength. But when he tried to sit up, his body wouldn't obey, his legs wouldn't move and he could barely lift his head. Tears of frustration dripped slowly from the corners of his eyes. He didn't want to die yet; this wasn't the way things were supposed to turn out.

From his anger a burst of strength appeared. Determined, he raised his head and began slowly to crawl from the window towards the dresser. He may be on the verge of death but there was no way he wasn't going to go down with at least some effort to live.

Grunting from the exertion, Danny shrugged his arms forward and gripped handfuls of carpet as tightly as he could. Then closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he pulled with all of his limited strength. To his surprise he felt his body move forwards a few inches.

Breathing heavily from the amount of energy crawling required and surprise, Danny nevertheless grasped more handfuls and pulled yet again. Soon, he had developed a sort of pattern. Grip, tug, breath, grip, tug, breath. Far more quickly than he had previously thought, he was halfway across the room and the dresser was in sight, looming far above him.

Sweat began to form along his forehead and upper lip. He was dying to stop and rest, but he knew that should he stop now there was no way he would be able to start back up again. With an exaggerated groan, he yanked one more time and then relaxed as he lay on the ground gasping for air. The only sound in the room was of Danny as slid and panted across the room.

Angry with himself, Danny tried to grab the carpet again but found to his immediate dismay that he could hardly even bend his fingers. There was no way he would be able to grip the fine strands of carpeting. Thoroughly dejected, Danny finally gave himself over to his despair. He had survived for so long on pure hope, this was a shock to his system. Far more quickly than before he could sense any strength in his body rapidly leaving, a chilling numbness setting in throughout instead. Closing his eyes, Danny could see his Sam as she had looked just before he had been kidnapped. She was gorgeous and smiling as usual.

"Sam…" he rasped hoarsely before the world around him faded into a bleak darkness.

Sorry! i know its been a while since i've updated, but school, work...papers...the usual procrastination bit :-D hope you enjoy! Reviews please!!!!!


	8. Rush

Disclaimer- I don't own

Eddie was furious. How dare she practically kick him out of her apartment? Didn't she realize who he was? What he could do? How much she meant to him?

After being unceremoniously shoved from Sam's apartment, Eddie had driven back to Vlad's mansion, his temper at a dangerous level. Several times during the trip he had purposely swerved towards the unwary squirrels that had unsuspectingly chosen the time and place for their death. After the kill count had reached double digits, he had to admit his mood had definitely improved.

Back at Vlad's, he had made his way towards the basement in order to watch his favorite show in comfort. Sipping lightly at the warm cup of tea in his hand, Eddie snapped his fingers in the air as his gaze never left the screen before him. Danny Vision was better than the slop that was usually on TV these days.

A body materialized beside his chair and waiting until it was noticed. Breathing deeply in the slightly spicy smell of the tea, Eddie reluctantly turned away from the screen to face the figure beside him.

"Skulker, this tea is not nearly strong enough. For the next pot, steep it longer. And its cold down here, get me a blanket." He demanded, catching the much larger and stronger ghost's eye. A cold smile was on his face as he watched in satisfaction as Skulker bowed low towards the ground and vanished without a sound.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught Eddie's attention, Vlad had come downstairs. He had a fierce scowl on his face, a telltale sign that all was not well in the world of Plasmius.

"Welcome back oh wondrous one." He greeted him blandly as he drank his tea, "Something wrong?"

Vlad slowly sat into the chair on the other side of the room and faced the console before him. With a grin, Eddie could see that Master's back was tense and ramrod straight. If this Fenton kid wasn't such a huge pain in his ass, Eddie could see himself almost admiring the man for his spunk. It wasn't every day that someone not nearly as powerful as himself tried to take on Vlad Masters.

Turning back to the monitor, Eddie's eyes popped open in shock. He had known that Danny was slowly fading for the past few days due to the solution that was pounding away in his veins, but it had been a few days since he'd been around to enjoy his prisoner's pain and anguish.

To his delight, Danny was a complete shadow of his former self when they had dragged him into the mansion earlier in the week. His figure was emaciated even though Vlad personally brought him meals three times a day; Eddie could practically see the bones in Danny's arms protruding, digging into the carpet. Not only that, but he was face down, his arms still grasping at the carpet and he was less than a foot away from the innocuous looking vial on the dresser. But what really tickled Eddie's funny bone was that while he was staring at the screen, Danny appeared to be having a seizure.

Skulker appeared and silently laid down a tray laden with a fresh pot of tea, cream and sugar as well as a blanket that had been tucked on his arm. Laying down the tray and wrapping the blanket around Eddie's legs, Skulker again disappeared without a word. Ignoring him, Eddie watched in morbid fascination as Danny twisted and turned, his back arching one minute, his eyes rolling in the back of his head the next. He was jolting erratically in the same spot, his arms and legs clenched tight in unrealized pain; Danny was beyond pain, beyond feeling. He was almost to the point of death, Eddie mused quietly as he slowly sipped his new cup of tea with relish.

A particularly painful looking snap to Danny's spine caused a sharp chuckle to erupt from Eddie. A minute later he was cursing his singular moment of weakness, as Vlad peered over his shoulder. If he had only been silent a minute longer there would no longer have been any need for Vlad or any of his sideshow freaks, Sam would have been his without hesitation and Vlad would have been in jail for the murder of Daniel Fenton.

With a low swear of "Damn," Vlad had vanished from the chilly room. A minute later, Eddie watched in frustration as the man burst into the room, grabbed Danny roughly and poured the vial down his throat. He enjoyed the last few twitching moments of Danny's agony before the antidote began to really course through his system, then slowly Fenton's jerky body motions slowed down until he was still. Eddie grimaced at the sight of Vlad heaving a huge sigh with the barely breathing Daniel Fenton in his arms. Vlad was too emotional. In this line of business, he needed to learn that sometimes the end result was all that mattered and if you needed to crack a few nuts along the way, then that was life.

With a curse of his own, Eddie allowed the cup in his hand to spill over the console before him. Smoothly, he scooted his chair back as the monitor burst into instant flames and sparks. It was done, Danny was theirs. Phase one had been completed, albeit far more quickly than he had originally wanted, but there it was. Now it was on to the next portion of the plan, and this one Eddie knew he would have far more fun with.

An hour later found Eddie sitting in the laboratory area of the basement, his leg bouncing up and down in irritation as Vlad clucked over his experiment like a mother hen. He had been waiting for the better part of the hour as Vlad adjusted things to his liking; turning this, tightening that, straightening the whatsit. It was enough to drive a man insane, if he wasn't already well on his way there to begin with.

Jumping up, Edward strode over to where Vlad was standing next to a tray of instruments. Almost lovingly, he stroked the sharp implements in interest. Oblivious to Vlad's nervous expression, he caressed a scalpel that he had picked up. With a wicked glint in his eye, he stared at Vlad in anticipation.

"Is he ready?" he asked slowly, as he looked around Vlad. Before him on a gurney, Danny was strapped in with metal restraints. His arms, his chest, legs and even neck were all strapped tightly, not allowing a single inch of movement. He was still unconscious for the moment, his head lolling to the side and his mouth partially open. Eddie gazed upon him analytically, what was it that Sam found so fascinating about this man? Sure by societies standards, Eddie assumed that he would be considered vaguely handsome. But he was poor, unintelligent, and an unnatural freak of nature. He had nothing to offer her.

Suddenly angry, he harshly shoved Vlad aside, ignoring the yelps of pain as his partner slammed into a table filled with metal instruments. It was just Danny and Eddie now, man to man. Eddie smirked, and wasn't it just wonderful that one of the men happened to be dead to the world and strapped in tightly?

Swinging his hand around, Eddie backhanded Danny smartly across the face, "Wake the hell up!" he shouted, his voice grating as it boomed through the room. Danny just shook his head as it bounced from side to side.

Narrowing his eyes, Eddie slapped him again, this time harder. Luckily for Danny, the second slap seemed to spark something inside his head and he awoke. Dazedly, he blinked at the harsh light that Vlad had placed directly over his head. With a grimace of pain, he tried to move his body but realized he couldn't because something was pressing him down.

With a shake of his head, he lifted his eyes and found to his astonishment that they met the malicious hazel eyes of a man before him. Tearing his eyes away, Danny glanced quickly around the room.

"Where am I?" He asked, swallowing desperately. His voiced seemed to not have been used for years, it sounded gravely to his ears and grated unnaturally. Like sharp bits of glass had been shoved down his throat. Every inch of his body was in excruciating agony, right down to the very last eyelash.

A cruel leer appeared on the face a few inches from his own, "Where are you Mr. Fenton? Why, I do believe you're in hell. Welcome, get comfortable. You'll be here for a while."

Suddenly, another body appeared within the scope of Danny's fuzzy vision; tall, and powerfully built it seemed disturbingly familiar.

"Edward, careful. He's still fragile right now."

Danny blanched in pain and anger, "Plasmius." He growled. Pain or no pain, he still tried to struggle against the bonds holding him down. Amusedly, both Vlad and the unknown watched him as he exerted most of his remaining strength.

"Oh Danny, " Vlad sighed in despair, "Honestly, you're weak as a newborn kitten m'boy. Don't even try it. Besides, we have much to discuss." Standing beside his compatriot, Vlad crossed his arms happily and smiled at his victim.

Danny glared hatefully at the men, "I won't join you Plasmius, my GOD this is pathetic in a man your age."

Vlad just shrugged unconcernedly, "We'll see." With a hesitant nod to the other man, Vlad walked out of the basement without looking back. Almost fearful, Danny watched as his cape whisped around the corner and vanished.

A cold chuckle caught Danny's attention and forced it back to the man before him, "Well, well. Looks like we're finally alone; 'bout time, I was dying to finally meet the infamous Danny Fenton face to face." Shifting back a step, he eyed Danny questioningly up and down, "You have quite the reputation you know Mr. Fenton. The question is, why."

Tired, Danny tilted his heavy head towards the man. He seemed so familiar. Inky black hair that was coifed perfectly, tall, built, dressed immaculately. And those eyes, why did they strike him so powerfully? "Do I know you?" asked Danny quietly, he had finally realized the stupidity of his earlier move and was now trying to conserve his energy.

The figure shrugged noncommittally, "Depends. But we do have a friend in common. Beautiful girl really, quite smart too. Has the most amazing amethyst eyes…" With a shock, Danny realized where he recognized this man; this was the guy from the tape of Sam in the park!

"You're Eddie aren't you?"

Eddie laughed joyously and clapped his hands in appreciation, "So she's mentioned me? And to you? How adorable. What a perfectly girlfriend type of thing to do, it's so Sam I could choke."

Danny bared his teeth at Eddie and snarled at him, "You're the one that ruined her life!"

Suddenly, Eddie's jovial face turned dark. His bright golden eyes glinted madly and his mouth widened in an evil smirk, "No, see not yet." Walking towards Danny, he gracefully pulled the scalpel between his fingers and began to run it gently through his hands, "You see Daniel, Sam is mine. She always has been, we are meant for each other. And the only thing stopping that, is you unfortunately." Eddie ran the sharp edge of the instrument slowly down Danny's cheek as he spoke, the cold metal running painful shivers throughout his body.

Danny's eyes widened desperately as he felt the cold blade then run delicately along his throat. With one smooth swipe he knew his life would be over and so would Sam's. "You're the one who tried to have me murdered." He murmured quietly, so as to not jostle the blade or startle Eddie.

Eddie grinned into Danny's face, "Yes. Poor, stupid woman; who knew assassins could have a conscience? After she failed I had to have her terminated, she hadn't even bothered to take out at least a few of those scientists in that explosion. It was disgraceful really; I had to file a complaint with her company. They were incredibly disappointed." Danny swallowed convulsively as the edge traveled between his eyes and down the bridge of his nose.

"If you wanted me dead, why don't you just do it now?" He wanted to know, he had to know. The better chance he had later on of escaping if he survived and warning Sam and Tucker. This was no ghost they were dealing with, but a psychotic human. No one was safe.

With a heavy sigh, Eddie pulled back the scalpel and looked at it sadly, "If Vlad hadn't seen you dying in your room then you would have already been dead and this would have been a non-issue." Quickly, his good mood was back and his eyes slightly wild in their sockets as they stared at Danny, "But since that didn't happen, this will be far more fun." He giggled wildly, a strange high sound that cut through the cold room, "What would you do, if the one you loved came back and tried to destroy you Danny?"

Suddenly, Danny knew what they wanted. Vlad wanted a protégé and Eddie wanted Danny to practically destroy Sam. "You can't make me do anything, psycho." He spat harshly at Eddie, his blue eyes icy in their glare.

Eddie nodded along, as if in agreement, "Oh no, I agree one hundred percent. But see, that's why I came to Vlad, and since he has a prior attachment to you, well it made it that much easier." His smile to Danny was sunny in appearance but full of despicable meaning.

"Sam will never love you."

Those five words were enough to break the tenuous barrier holding Eddie back. Suddenly, he was face to face with Danny. With a jerk of his arm, Eddie had grasped Danny's face in his hand, forcing Danny to tilt his face painfully towards his tormentor. The look in Eddie's eyes was enough show Danny just how desperately his man wanted the one thing to ever get away from him, Sam.

Gripping his rival's face painfully in his grasp, Eddie critically looked over the smooth planes of Danny's forehead, cheeks, lips and nose. "I wonder," he mused aloud in a faux cheery voice, "will Sam still love you if you are disfigured." And without another word, Eddie's other arm flashed down towards Danny's face.

A blaze of fiery pain cut across Danny's entire face as he screamed into the empty laboratory. It was a shallow cut, but he couldn't know that. All he could feel was the gentle trickles of blood as it pulsed down his face and neck.

"Not enough, let's try again shall we?" Eddie hissed in rapture. Again his scalpel flew through the air, this time towards the other cheek, making an equally deep slice into the formerly flawless skin.

A second ear splitting shriek cut through the silence. Sobbing desperately, Danny couldn't move or escape from this hell, all he could do was lay there and wait for Eddie to finally realize that he no longer needed his new toy. Again the blade was moving towards Danny and in resignation he shut his eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable stab of agony to carve through his visage.

"Edward!"

A second before the blade had made contact, Eddie groaned. What a time for an interruption. Turning around, he grinned at the horrified expression on Vlad's face. "Hey Vlady, come to join the party?" he asked, waving the blood drenched scalpel in Danny's tear streaked direction.

Without a word, Vlad marched woodenly over to Eddie, quickly plucked the blade from his hand and with a firm sweeping gesture, shoved him away from their guinea pig. Laughing, Edward made his way towards the stairs. At the base of them, he turned and winked at Danny.

Blood drenched and pale, Danny watched as Vlad hesitantly began to clean his wounds with a slightly dirty rag, "Vlad." He mumbled, the words sticking slightly in his mouth. He was so tired.

Without waiting for a response Danny continued, "Kill me," he begged quietly, in a low voice, "this is not worth anything. What good is a broken, unwilling slave? You know I won't join you and Eddie…" Danny fell quiet, wincing occasionally when Vlad scrubbed too roughly in some spots.

Vlad turned his back towards Danny and dropped the crimson soaked rag onto the table. Resting his hands on the edge of the table he allowed his shoulders to slump slightly. "I can't," he replied quietly, "Besides," he added, turning around, a small smile on his face, "by this time tomorrow, none of this will matter anyways."

Then straightening up, he nodded at Danny, making sure not to catch his eye, and walked out of the room and up the stairs. If he strained his ears hard enough, Danny could hear each individual footfall as it was made along the stony steps. Each step made its own ominous sound as it echoed back down to the freezing chamber he was stuck in for now. Tears of frustration and pain stung his cheeks as they flowed down his face; tiredly, Danny closed his eyes and willed himself asleep hoping that the next day would be no worse than this one.

A pained expression on her face, Jazz sat alone on the couch. Carefully, she rested her hand on her still slender stomach. What was she going to do? How could she tell her family that she was going to have to leave graduate school for a while to take care of her child? That the father of her child didn't even know he was going to be a father?

Silently, Sam walked into the living room, two piping hot cups of hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream in her hands. Stopping, suddenly she caught sight of Jazz resting on the couch with a forlorn look on her face. Moving quietly, she left the room and stood around the corner watching her friend. Jazz sighed heavily and tucked some of her bright red hair behind her ear, her right hand still lightly caressing her stomach; Sam could almost feel her heart breaking at the sight in front of her. If not for herself, then they needed to find Danny for Jazz at the very least.

"Hey," Sam greeted Jazz weakly, walking sedately into the room so as to not drop the hot drinks in her hand, "Thought you might want some company. And hey, look! I brought chocolate!"

Smiling warmly at the sight, Jazz scooted over for Sam to sit beside her. Thanking her profusely, Jazz breathed in the heady chocolate aroma and took a small sip. "God Sam, how'd you know I needed this?"

Taking a sip of her own drink, Sam licked her lips in satisfaction, "Its chocolate Jazz, you're pregnant and your only brother is currently MIA. I think you need it."

Jazz nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I guess. Where's Tucker?" After they had discovered a possibly correlation between Eddie and Danny, Tucker had disappeared and neither Sam nor Jazz had heard from him for at least twelve hours.

"I dunno, but if anyone is gonna call him, it's you. The last time I called I got more information into Tuck and Val's relationship than I ever wanted." Said Sam with a nervous shiver. Never again, she thought desperately. If she had to listen to Valerie moan one more time...now she understood how Danny had felt that one time when he had caught them before he and Val had broken up.

Laughing, Jazz put down her cup and shook her head, "Ok, fine…I'll call him." She got quiet for a minute before continuing, "We've waited long enough and I want my brother back. No, I need my brother back." Tears leaked slowly from her eyes as Jazz furiously wiped them away. Sighing, Sam reached over and patted her lightly on the back in sympathy.

"I know Jazz, really. I know you want Danny back, believe me, I do too. God do I want him back." Sam whispered, as she stared into the swirling creamy brown depths of her hot chocolate, "Do you know what I'm going to do when I see him?"

"Hog tie him to the bed?" guessed Jazz coyly, a wicked smile on her face.

Sam laughed at the image in her head, "Ok, maybe after that…but no, I'm going to jump in his arms, smack his head hard and demand that he never scare me again." Her face fell at the rush of emotions that assaulted her, "And then I'm going to tell him that I love him desperately."

Jazz nodded slowly, and reaching over gave her a loving one armed hug, "I understand Sam."

"More hugs?"

Tearing apart, the women were stunned to see Tucker standing just inside the living room staring at them with an amused look on his face. "Wipe that smirk off your face Foley before my boot does it for you," Jazz growled as Sam laughed.

"Where've you been Tuck?"

Tucker shrugged as he moved farther into the room, "Had to tell my beloved she was my life didn't I?" Spying the cups in their hands, his face lit up in jubilation, "Ooooh chocolate!" Diving forward, he grabbed the cup from Sam's hand and drank deeply.

Sam nudged Jazz with her elbow, "Told you I didn't want to call."

Smacking his lips and sighing in deep satisfaction, Tucker set the empty cup back onto the coffee table and grinned at Sam, "Good chocolate Sammy, seriously, gotta give Val that recipe. Now, onto the news; the reason why I was gone so long was to get something to help our little operation." Digging in his pants pocket, Tucker pulled out a small silver, round chip which he held up proudly.

Jazz squinted her eyes to try and see the tiny object better, "What the hell is it?"

Before their eyes, Tucker seemed to deflate, "What, you can't tell?"

"Tuck…" Sam warned.

"Fine! You guys know that I'm now working for that tech company right?" they both nodded, so he continued confidently, "Well, the company's headhunters were going after me back in high school to be honest. They had somehow caught wind that I'd been experimenting with different kinds of tracking devices."

Sam eyed the object in Tucker's hand questioningly, "A tracking device?"

"Tucker," Jazz asked hesitantly, "why do we need a tracking device?"

"Are you going to put it on Eddie?" Sam asked hopefully, her eyes shining in anticipation.

An embarrassed flush distressingly crept up Tucker's dark skin, "Well," he said, rubbing his head nervously, "Um, I didn't think that he would let me get that close to him and since this is a really delicate piece of machinery I can't really let you or Jazz handle it Sam so…" A desperate smile graced Tucker's face until he caught a glimpse of the expressions on Jazz and Sam's faces.

Sam stood up in shock and shook her head, waving her hands in distress, "No…no….NO! Tucker, you want to _bug_ me?" she exclaimed. This was so wrong, how could he want her to be anywhere near that possibly sociopath?

Tucker smirked and shot her a look that said "duh," "What, you expected me to suggest the hormonal pregnant chick?" he asked, gesturing to Jazz.

"Hey!" Jazz cried, "This pregnant chick can still kick your ass and psychoanalyze you till the cows came home. Besides Sam, I think Tucker actually has something there."

Sam stared at her in shock, what? This was ridiculous, how could these two want her to be alone with the madman who possibly had kidnapped her boyfriend? "J-Jazz…what the hell are you talking about?" Sam stuttered.

Jazz's face lit up in excitement at the idea running through her head, "Think about it. Sam, it makes sense. The only one that Eddie could trust would be you. You're the key to getting into where Danny's at."

Quietly, Sam gazed at Tucker and Jazz's expectant faces. She had to admit they had a point, and wasn't it her fault to begin with that they were all in this mess? After all, it was because of her that Eddie had come back into the mix.

"Fine," she mumbled childishly, crossing her arms before her chest, "but I don't like it."

Tucker rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her, "You don't have to like it Sammy, but if we want Phantom back, and if you want your boy toy back, then someone has to do this."

"Can we tape record me too? Just in case I disappear somewhere along the way?" Sam asked feebly.

Jazz scratched her chin in thought, "Guys I think we're going to need some time. Sam's obviously going to need more than just a tiny bug on her before she's ready to go along with Eddie. Tucker, think you can whip up a undetectable recording device?"

He nodded happily, "Yeah, I've been dying to work on more of my private stash of spy gear."

Sam shook her head in despair, "I don't even want to know why you've been making spy gear." Jazz chuckled along with her in agreement.

"Hey," he replied, indignant "you never know when Danny wants to make this sidekick thing official."

"Yeah well, when Batman wants you back Robin we'll let you know."

Chuckling, Tucker just pocketed his tracking device and giving both women a warm hug he said goodbye and left. Jazz claimed she was tired and went to the guest room to take a nap, but Sam knew that she was going to go and have a long cry.

If she was honest, Sam wished she could do the same. It was all that she wanted to break down and cry; she knew what Eddie was capable of. It had been some freak form of rationalization that made her think he had been misunderstood. Sam's eyes narrowed as she cleaned up the living room, and that bastard had made her think she'd had a job. He had used her again. But this time, she was finally going to get her revenge, he would hurt no one when they were finished.


	9. All's Fair?

Disclaimer- don't own a thing

The low buzz of off tune humming danced through the chilly gloom of the subbasement in Vlad's mansion. Vlad was moving carefully around his machinery in the dim lighting, checking various dials and screens for readings. Everything had to be perfect before they could continue with their plans.

Vlad hated the idea of actually harming Danny in any way. He paused for a second, his hand resting on the warmed metal hull of a large hollow container as he remembered the night before. It had almost stopped his heart when he had come back downstairs to see Eddie carving slices in Danny's face. The cold, calculating look that had been on Eddie's face as he had watched in silent satisfaction as the blood streaked blade flashed closer and closer to his victim's face.

A furtive glance across the room showed him that his patient was still unconscious, his head tilted painfully to the side, his hair covering his eyes and his mouth gaping open as he wheezed in pain even in his sleep. He winced in sympathy at the sight of the rust brown streaks which poured down his face. There hadn't been any time the night before to clean Danny up, he'd had to run back upstairs and yell at Eddie for a good hour. A harsh scowl appeared on Vlad's face; Eddie had merely laughed and shrugged asking what the big deal was, he had left Danny alive hadn't he? Wasn't that all that mattered?

To Vlad, all that mattered was that if this plan failed he didn't want to give Danny more of a reason to come back in revenge. Leaving lasting marks, definitely counted as a valid reason in his book. At least the antidote had worked, he hadn't even been one hundred percent sure it would.

Satisfied that the laboratory was prepped for the coming events of the day, Vlad left the freezing, soulless room and instead moved into his warm and inviting study. Once sequestered in his favorite leather chair, he called quietly into the empty room, "Skulker."

Immediately, there was a response. The metallic body of Vlad's mercenary minion appeared with a faint ghostly pop that went unnoticed in its normalcy. "Yes Plasmius." There was no question in Skulker's normally strangely mobile face. Instead it was blank, as if waiting for something to be written there.

"After the events of last night, I'd much rather that Master Haverstein was not present for the next stage. Make sure he is still…out, for the moment. And then report downstairs and begin preparing the subject ," Vlad dictated with a cruel smile on his face as he stared into space. After Eddie's disfigurement of Danny's face, he had quietly slipped a heavy dosage of sleeping pills into the younger man's nightcap of brandy. He would be sleeping for a few hours yet, but it paid to be prepared. With a slow, even nod, Skulker disappeared.

Reappearing beside Danny's slumped figure on the gurney, Skulker dispassionately stared at his nemesis for a minute. Then he got to work. Quickly and efficiently, he sterilized the crook of Danny's arm with a swipe of and alcohol dowsed cotton swab and, with a careful lift of his fingers, gently tilted his head in a more comfortable fashion.

Floating slowly over to a tray nearby, he smoothly and methodically began to prepare some syringes filled with a pale blue liquid.

Silently, Danny opened his eyes then quickly shut them again. Skulker was not something he wanted to first see when he opened his eyes. But he had to admit that if it came down to Eddie, Vlad or Skulker, he would take the hunk of scrap metal any day. Even with his lack of superhuman powers, Eddie was far more frightening than any ghost Danny had ever come across. He had the scars now to prove it. Gently, moving his head to the side Danny stared at Skulker's back, his face unwillingly flinching at the movement the pain caused.

"Skulker," Danny hissed, "hey, metal head!" Skulker continued in his lethargic movements, as if he hadn't heard Danny's entreaty. Eyes widening, he suddenly noticed the various needles resting on the tray waiting for an unsuspecting vein to attack.

Frustrated, Danny struggled against his bindings. After a somewhat awkward night's sleep, he was far stronger than he had been before and was ready to knock some sense into his kidnappers. "Skulker, look at me damnit!"

A somewhat stilted chuckle interrupted his pathetic attempted escape, swiveling his head painfully towards the stairs, Danny was greeted by the sight of a smiling Vlad carrying a mug of something steaming as he regally traveled down the steps. "I'm sorry Daniel, but Skulker can't really help you. See, he only listens to his master now and days."

A shiver of something traveled down Danny's spine, and he distantly thought it must be something like fear. "Where's your friendly neighborhood butcher today Vlady?" With death in his eyes, Danny stared as Vlad sedately walked closer. Desperately he wished he had the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, of all that abilities to have and that's one he was missing. A wicked image of Vlad hopping around the lab with his butt on fire popped into Danny's head.

Shrugging carelessly, Vlad placed his mug on the lab table, grabbed a stool and sat on it, with his arms crossed. "I do believe that Mr. Haverstein found last night's events too taxing, so he is sleeping in this morning."

"You drugged him."

A short laugh echoed through the room, "Oh Daniel, you do know me all too well."

Danny pressed against the bindings on his arms and neck, "So I'm guessing then that you won't let me go?"

"Of course not, why go to all this effort only to release you once you've gotten your strength back. Really, you must think me an idiot," Vlad shivered, "or your father."

Danny's bright blue eyes narrowed in confusion, "So why all of this Masters? Why in the world did you kidnap me in the first place? I understand Eddie, but you?" He ignored the jibe against his father, it wasn't the important thing right now.

"I can't really speak for Edward, he truly makes no sense. But as for me…" Vlad paused for a minute, crossed his legs and his eyes shined in anticipation, "well, I suppose that in a few minutes it won't matter anyways. You won't really remember much. Fine, I wanted you because I'm getting on in years and you've finally come into your full potential. I need an heir Daniel."

His face twisted in disgust, Danny groaned, "Give me a break Plasmius. That old spiel? I don't believe that for one minute."

Vlad's lips curled slowly into a grin, "Which is why I told you. Now then, on to the main event! Skulker, my coat if you please." Dully, Skulker stood beind Vlad and held out his lab coat waiting for him to put his arms through.

"Masters, what's up with Skulker?" Danny asked, as he tried to wriggle his wrist clear of his restraint without catching Vlad's notice.

Standing up from his stool, Vlad shook out his sleeves and moved over to the tray table holding the syringes, picking one up he examined the liquid and began to gently tap the side of the vial, trying to get all the bubbles out. At Danny's question he stopped mid-tap, "Skulker? He's fine Daniel, don't worry."

"Not what I asked, what'd you do to him?" Danny demanded, more than slightly nervous. The sight of that needle forebode ill, he just knew it.

Vlad smiled. Something he meant to be reassuring, but something that scared Danny far more than the sight of the needle. "Now, Daniel. Don't worry so much. It'll make this far more difficult than it really has to be. Skulker is just fine. He's finally free of all concerns and desires."

"You castrated him?!" Danny yelped loudly, his eyes huge in his head at the very thought of what he might lose. His hands instinctively twitched as if they felt the need to protect a very important part of his body.

Vlad snorted in derision, "Not quite. I didn't really want to contend with Ember if I did that. No, Skulker was just my test subject in my latest ghostly experiment. You see this," he gestured at the syringe in his hand, "is filled with a liquid that inhibits a ghost's, or in your case Daniel, half ghost's, ability to think or move for themselves."

"Uh, Vlad," Danny chuckled, "you're too late."

Confused, Vlad faced him, "What do you mean?" Danny had allowed someone to experiment on him of his own free will? When had this happened?

Danny shrugged to the best of his stilted ability, "Well, years ago a guy named Freakshow controlled several ghosts. Yours truly was one of them."

Vlad chuckled at the simple mindedness of his guest, "Ah, but Daniel that was easily rectified if I remember correctly. Just by simply destroying his staff, am I correct?" without waiting for Danny's confirmation, he continued, "I did my research. Anyways, this formula is far more complete. Sadly, there is no antidote yet. But since I'm sure Ember won't mind Skulker as a mindless slave, I don't believe that will be an issue."

Danny spluttered in indignation, "But, you can't…!"

"Again, you underestimate me Daniel." Vlad sighed in pain, as if he was unused to such an occurrence, "Yesterday you asked me to kill you because it would be simpler than having an unwilling body doing my will. This is the easiest way to save your life and get what I wish, see?" he said cheerfully, as he walked closer to Danny's prone body, the needle stretched towards his outturned right arm.

Pausing before the tip of the needle pricked Danny's skin, Vlad caught his gaze, "Now is the time to tell me, do you have any allergies, heart conditions…?" he questioned happily.

"What, you don't have any of that in my file?" Danny sniped back; in a panic he was desperately trying to yank his arm away from the jutting needle. It wasn't one of the baby needles the nurses at his doctors usually gave him, this was a monster of an instrument. Vlad obviously wasn't unduly concerned with the pain he might cause his victim.

Vlad grinned, "No, I do. I was just making sure that there wasn't something you were hiding from me. Of course, I'll find out soon enough." And with that, he jabbed the thick needle into the pulsing vein protruding from Danny's arm.

Gritting his teeth, Danny twitched at the chilling, itching feeling that pounded through his body almost instantaneously. It surpassed the pain of the rigid intrusion of the needle, within the next second he forgot the pain, the flooding of yet another foreign liquid in his body and that he hated Vlad. He forgot his family, Tucker, the fact that he was a ghost and Sam. He remembered that he wanted to obey Vlad Masters. And nothing else.

His eyes blinking rapidly, Danny suddenly slumped back over and his entire body shook violently within the restraints. Reaching out, Vlad rested his hand sympathetically on Danny's heaving shoulder, "Don't worry son. It'll be over in a minute. The shakes last longer only if you are full ghost."

-- --O- O-O -O-- --

Frustrated, Sam plucked at her clothing feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Under her clothing, Sam was wearing a lightweight bulletproof vest, a microphone feed attached to her bra, a camera disguised as a button on the front of her sweater and the microscopic tracking device that Tucker had shown her and Jazz the night before was tucked away in her front jeans pocket.

"Tuck, let's hope it doesn't rain with the amount of hardware I'm wearing." Sam complained as she carefully adjusted her camera button on the dark purple sweater she was wearing. She had originally thought it was just going to be the tracking device until Tucker had arrived earlier that morning with his arms stuffed with mountains of electronic gadgets and his face as bright with impending joy. She hadn't had the heart to say no.

"Don't worry, they're encased in a lightweight plastic casing to prevent that." Tucker muttered as he furiously tapped on the laptop keyboard before him. Suddenly, he adjusted the laptop to face Sam, "Ok, Sammy, here we go. See this?" he pointed at the screen. It showed a ballooned image of Tucker's face, focusing mainly on his nose. She nodded, "Ok, well this is a satellite feed. Whatever you see, Jazz and I'll be able to see also at the exact same time."

Sam nodded to show she understood, "Fine, now what?"

"Now," Jazz mumbled, as she walked in munching alternately on an apple and a candy bar, "you call Eddie."

"Aw do I have to?" the Goth whined loudly, as she slumped onto the couch. When Jazz shot her a glare she sniffed, "What, you can't blame me for not wanting to. You have no idea what this guy is capable of Jazz! I mean, I can bet that he's been party to at least one…murder." Sam's eyes shot open, "Oh dear god."

Scared at the expression on Sam's face, Jazz hurried over to the couch, sat beside her and grabbed her hand, "Sam? Sam, what is it!"

Numb, Sam stared at Jazz unseeingly, "He was the one. He tried to…oh god."

"Sam?" asked Tucker quietly, he had never seen her at this degree of frightened. Eddie had always scared her, but this was something beyond that. "He was the one who what Sam?"

Wide-eyed, Sam twisted her hands in her lap as the realization crashed over her. "A few weeks ago," she began in a soft whisper, "there was an incident at Axiom. An explosion actually, in a lab that Danny was visiting."

"Was he alright?" asked Jazz in desperation, worry coloring her voice.

Smiling softly at Jazz, Sam nodded, "Yeah, he was fine. But there was a woman who was burned badly, Danny walked with her to the ambulance. He said that she had changed her mind."

Tucker was confused, "Changed her mind? What, she decided that she didn't want to be burned anymore?"

"No, she had been paid to kill him. And I think that Eddie is the one to put her up to it," Sam finished, her voice back in a whisper.

Tucker held up his hands and chuckled, "Wait a second, you're telling me that Eddie put a hit on Danny? And the assassin failed?" Sam nodded, not paying attention to Jazz's worried expression or Tucker's laughing one.

"Yes! It makes sense!" she exclaimed, suddenly understanding everything, "Damn Danny for not telling me, him and his 'noble' intentions," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Then she held out her hand, "Tuck give me your phone."

Grasping his phone protectively to his chest, Tucker glared at her, "Why my phone? Use your own!"

Glaring at him, Sam wrestled with his flailing limbs but finally manages to wrest the device away from him, "You can be such a baby sometimes. I'm just going to put his number in your phone. If I have to wear all this crap you can handle one extra measly phone number in your new 'baby'" she griped as she punched in the digits. Handing it back to him, she dug into her own pocket and pulled out her own phone.

For a minute she stared at it, the well worn keypad and slightly smudged screen. Her phone's background was a picture of Danny, a candid she had snapped a few days after they had gotten together. He had been eating cotton candy that she had bought at the grocery store and had somehow gotten it all over, including the tip of his nose. In the picture he was trying to get that one little piece with only his tongue. Gathering her strength from the image of Danny, she hit a number and the dial button, then waited as the ringtone buzzed loudly in her ear.

As the tone continued to ring loudly, Sam grew worried that it would go to his voicemail and she'd have to call back later. She didn't think she could make herself do that. Luckily though, it was finally picked up.

"H-hello?" greeted the sleepy voice of Eddie. Confused, Sam looked at her watch and saw that it was late in the afternoon by now. How could he have been sleeping this late in the day?

"Eddie?"

A yawn sounded in her ear, but was cut short as he suddenly seemed to perk up at the sound of her voice, "Sam! Hey, how's it going?"

Faking a giggle, Sam winked at Jazz and Tucker, twirling a lock of her hair for good measure, "Oh, it's going fine. I was just thinking though, I mean, I've been working for you for a few weeks now. Don't you think I need to see the main office?" At the sight of the combined dropped jaws of Jazz and Tucker, Sam let out another false giggle, "Besides, I feel like we really haven't spent any time together lately. And you're right, we should be friends again."

"Sam, I'd be honored. Would you care to spend the day together tomorrow? We can make an event of it."

Squashing the panic that was bubbling deep inside her at the idea of spending an entire day with him, Sam choked out her reply, "Sure, that'd be wonderful. Pick me up at ten?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Hanging up, she turned to Tucker and Jazz and smirked, "Well?"

Tucker pointed at her in shock, his jaw still wide open, "You just giggled." His mouth opened and shut and a lost expression crossed his face, "Twice," he whispered, confused.

Sam rolled her eyes, "Thank you Captain Obvious. Jazz?"

Finishing off her candy bar, Jazz grinned, "Wonderful. We'll get the dirt on this jerk soon enough." Kindly, Sam chose not to tell Jazz that her teeth were covered in chocolate as she spoke.

Laying back on the couch, Sam allowed herself a minute to let everything sink in; she had just called her ex-boyfriend and fake boss. A man, who had apparently tried to kill her boyfriend. A boyfriend who was currently missing. And tomorrow she was going into the lion's den; there was something seriously wrong with this image.

"There's something else…" Sam muttered.

Tucker glanced up from texting Valerie, "Whatcha mean Sammy?"

Sam rested her gaze on Tucker and Jazz, "It just makes no sense. Eddie can't be the only one. He'd have to know that Danny was half-ghost. And I know he's rich, but he doesn't have the knowledge or experience to deal with ghosts…there has to be someone else."

Jazz and Tucker looked at each other in confusion, but Sam's mind was reeling. Eddie was human, that she was sure of; he had no knowledge of ghosts. So he would have to know someone who did have an understanding of the supernatural world.

"Jazz, do you think your parents…?"

Jazz shook her head in sharp motions, "No! Mom and Dad have never met this guy, I'm sure of it. They would have mentioned some rich big-wig funding them. They would have been over the moon about it."

Tucker snapped his fingers, "I got it!" he exclaimed, "Think about it guys. Who's rich, knows about ghosts and has an issue with Danny?" It was like two light bulbs had suddenly been lit.

"Oh my god." Sam slapped her forehead as she and Jazz groaned simultaneously, "Of course…we're idiots. Vlad's helping Eddie."

Jazz snorted in amusement, "Well, gee Sam guess you really didn't have to make that date with Eddie after all." Frustrated, Sam grimaced at her.

"Thanks Jasmine," Sam mumbled, lightly punching Jazz's shoulder as she laughed at her friend.

Tucker stroked his chin, "Well I guess we might have an idea where they're stashing Danny then."

"Are we sure though? I mean these are two of the richest men in the state. They could be hiding him in a warehouse on the other side of the country for all we know."

Sam physically blanched at the idea of Danny on the other side of the states but nodded in agreement, "Jazz's right. Which means," she moaned loudly, "I still have to go out with Eddie."

"Aw poor Sammy, she has a date," Tucker snickered at his friend's plight. His laughter quickly turned to a shout of pain as Sam whacked him upside the head and Jazz punched his shoulder, "Ow damnit, if I want to be abused I'll go home and let Val do it guys!"

Sam chuckled and winked at Jazz, "I always knew Val had to be into S&M." Jazz joined in chuckling at the sight of Tucker's slightly flushed face.

Jazz waved a hand in the air, another gently cradled her stomach, "Ok, so we should figure out our plan for tomorrow guys." Sam nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. Ok, so here's how it's gonna happen. Sam will obviously be with Eddie and she'll have more bugs than a roach motel on her, just in case. Jazz and I'll be following along behind carefully. Got it?"

Sam sighed and dropped her forehead into the palm of her hand, "Can't we just fast forward past tomorrow to when we get Danny back?"

"Sorry Sammy, but we all know this has to be done. It'll be alright though," Tuck sympathized and gently patted her on the back. Glancing at his watch, Tucker's eyes flew open and he jumped up, "Damn, I'm late. I'm supposed to meet Val and her dad for dinner. Later guys!" With that he flew out of the apartment.

Their goodbyes echoing along behind him, Sam and Jazz sat on the couch silently for a few minutes. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam watch as Jazz lovingly caressed her lower stomach. Curious, Sam watched her for a minute. Since Jazz had been around, Sam had tried not to ask too many questions about her friend's current state. But seeing the soft glow that seemed to come from deep within Jazz, Sam couldn't help herself any longer.

"Jazz," Sam asked quietly, "who's the father?"

"His name is Christopher Gardner, he's a grad student at Berkeley." She sighed in remembrance, "He's gorgeous and smart and sooo nice. Or at least I thought so, when I told him I was pregnant he just sort of ran. I didn't follow." Tears began to flow thick and fast down Jazz's pale face, furiously she tried to stem the rush and wipe them away.

Helplessly, Sam watched as her only female friend in Amity cried her eyes out on her couch. There was nothing she could do to help the hurt that was tearing Jazz in two. There was a buzz in the back of her brain though, the name sounded vaguely familiar. Getting up, Sam walked into the hallway and grabbed a blanket from the linen closet.

Handing the warm, fuzzy blanket to Jazz, Sam smiled sympathetically and sat back down to wait for Jazz to calm down. She didn't need this kind of excitement, and Sam was incredibly sorry that she had asked in the first place. "Jazz, please…he's not worth crying over if he doesn't even care that he's going to be a father."

Gulping in deep breaths, Jazz nodded slowly, "You're right of course. I'm just being silly and hormonal. Besides," she added brightly, her eyes shining from her tears a moment before, "who needs that jackass when I have family and friends willing to be here? Thanks Sammy, I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning Bond." A hug later and Sam was alone in her living room.

Grabbing the blanket that Jazz had abandoned, Sam curled it around her body and snuggled into the couch. It was still the middle of the summer, but you never would have known it from the weather the past few days. Oddly chilly during the day, it only got colder at night. Somehow it seemed to reflect the mood around Amity lately.

Jazz had been right in saying that the Fenton's had noticed that Danny Phantom was missing. The lack of ghostly activity had Mr. Fenton so antsy not even fudge could catch his interest. They had actually called Sam the day before asking if she had noticed anything strange about Danny. He hadn't been answering their phone calls for over a week now, they said. Sam really couldn't say anything but that Danny was tied up at the moment. The truth of that statement was something they didn't need to know at the moment.

This was the moment of truth for Sam. Tomorrow was the day that could either make or break everything for hers and Danny's relationship, not to mention their lives. She could sit here on her comfy couch, and not leave the safety of her beloved blanket and let sun rise and set tomorrow. Or she could risk life, love and limb for the only man who had ever truly mattered in her life.

Strangely, for all that Eddie terrified the very socks off of Sam's feet on a good day; fear wasn't an emotion she was experiencing at the moment. She wasn't scared or even ready to burst into tears, there were no more tears to cry at the moment. No, she was pissed off. You can threaten Sam, her life and her happiness. But mess with her man and prepare for a whoopin'.

Nodding her head slowly, Sam knew that what came tomorrow was set in stone. She wouldn't change it even if she could; this was Danny, and she loved him. How in the world could she leave someone who had risked everything for her ever since they were in high school? Tucker wouldn't, Jazz wouldn't, the Fenton's wouldn't. Even if it weren't for Danny, how could she let them down?

A headache settled deep in Sam's brain, pounding as she rationalized her latest life choice. Lying long ways on the couch, Sam tucked one of the few pillows under her head and closed her eyes, intending to only rest for a minute. There was no way she could sleep with the headache. Not for the first time, she was wrong.

The next thing she knew, it was morning and Jazz was roughly shoving her shoulder in an attempt to rouse her. "Sam! Get up! We have to get ready! Tucker'll be here in ten minutes and then Eddie'll get here in half an hour! Did you sleep down here the whole night?" She asked as Sam drowsily rose from her bed on the couch and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I guess," she replied groggily. Then as Jazz's words sank into her head, Sam stared at her in shock, "Half an hour? Dear god!" She shouted, slinging back the blanket she ran, stumbling down the hallway to the bathroom before shutting the door with a resounding SLAM.

Chuckling, Jazz calmly straightened up the room and folded the blanket before putting it back onto the couch. Leave it to Sam to wait until the very last minute to get ready for the day when they're supposed to go out and save her kidnapped boyfriend. The chiming gong of the doorbell sounded through the living room, so Jazz cheerfully went over to peer through the peep hole.

Satisfied, she propped open the door and blocked it with her slightly thickened body, "Mornin' Tuck. Come on in, Sam's in the shower. She just woke up a second ago."

Tucker walked into the apartment grumbling, "I don't believe it. She knew what was happening today and she woke up late?"

Steam curling gently around her towel clad body and a deep purple towel wrapped around her head, Sam marched out of the bathroom, "Hey, not my fault. I fell asleep on the couch, there's no alarm out there."

"Quick shower," Jazz commented with a smile. Her own body and hair were perfectly dressed and coifed; she had been up for a few hours making sure that everything was fine for the day's events.

Sam shrugged and smiled back warmly, "Well, as Tuck so kindly reminded me, something big is going down today and I decided to be quick." Then sticking her tongue out at Tucker, Sam turned on her heel and glided down towards her room.

"Brat," he mumbled under his breath.

Back in her room, Sam took a rare personal second to stare at her closet and the clothes inside. What did one wear when they were going undercover trying to retrieve their boyfriend from a pathetic wannabe despot and a sociopathic playgirl pinup? Definitely not the heels; what good would they be if she needed to run? The tennis shoes instead, definitely.

Grabbing a pair of well loved jeans, her favorite black t-shirt and a light blue button up sweater, Sam quickly got dressed and fluffed out her soaking wet hair. Running her fingers through it carefully, she twisted the strands into two braids to run down her back. Dabbling on a touch of makeup, she examined her reflection. This wasn't a date, it was a mission. This was for Danny. She just hoped that he understood how much she loved him when this was all finished.

Walking into the living room, Sam spread out her arms and gave a little twirl, "So? Guys, how do I look?"

Tucker snorted, "Like Pippi meets a Bond girl." Carefully though, he held out his hand filled with technology and helped Sam when she began to arrange it on her body. Tucking the camera button just inside one of the button holes on her sweater; Sam adjusted her clothing so it felt right.

"I'll take that as a compliment, those Bond girls were hot and they could kick ass," Sam hip checked him with a grim smile plastered on her face. It was almost ten in the morning. Prepare battle stations.

Shooing Jazz and Tucker into the kitchen, Sam sat back on the couch waiting on pins and needles for that doorbell to ring for the second time that morning. She could practically feel every second that passed in the waiting for Eddie to arrive, it was like one death knell after another.

When the doorbell finally did chime, it shocked her so badly that Sam squeaked in surprise, struggling to not fall off of the couch. Desperately, Sam tried to quell the shaking of her hands as she stood up and walked over to the front door.

Pasting on a bright smile, Sam opened the door and greeted her guest brightly, "Hey Eddie, how're you doing this morning?"

Like the perfect gentleman, he held out his arm and grinned toothily up at her, "Wonderful now that the sun has finally come into my life." He squeezed her arm with his free hand and walked towards his car waiting in the parking lot.

Sam's grin never wavered, but inside she could feel her gag reflex fighting to emerge. How in the world had she managed to date this guy in the first place? Sliding into the passenger seat, she strapped herself in with the seatbelt and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

She was silent when he slid into the driver's seat beside her. Unfortunately for her, his car was a little two-seater without a whole lot of leg or arm room. Twisting her legs for more space, Sam fought to breathe calmly in the confined space.

"So," she said in a chipper tone, "where are we going today?"

His golden hazel eyes were steely, but his smile was genuine and warm. "Well, yesterday you said that you wanted to see the main office right? Well, that's where we're heading. And then after that we'll just wing the rest of the day, how does that sound?"

Sam forced herself to nod in complete agreement, "Sure, I've been dying to see where it is we work. Don't you think it's weird that I've been working for your company for a few weeks and I've yet to meet another employee or see where the business is?" she asked as innocently as she could.

He didn't reply, but she could see his smile grow a little wider. Glancing in the side view mirror, Sam could see behind the cars that were immediately behind theirs. And the fourth one down the line was really familiar, so familiar that she could in fact see the large dent that Tucker had accidently knocked into his fender after a ghost incident their senior year in high school. Comforted that she wasn't alone, Sam shivered in the slowly warming atmosphere in the car.

Along they traveled, the only noise between Sam and Eddie was the soft tunes wafting from the radio. It was all that kept her sane in the long ride. Keeping a sharp eye on the surrounding landscape; so far nothing was vastly different from the area around Amityville Park. Yawning, Sam asked Eddie to wake her when they arrived at the office and then drifted off to sleep, wishing she was wrong about everything and this was simply just a bad dream.

Driving the car carefully, Eddie kept an eye on the road before and behind them. He wasn't stupid, he recognized the driver in the dented car farther along behind them. It was the guy he had seen at Sam's the other day, the same Tucker that used to be pasted on Sam's dorm walls back at Fordham. Something was up, but what kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn't allow his girlfriend her chance to surprise him? Reaching over, he gently rested his hand on Sam's shoulder, and continued to drive.

An hour later, Sam still hadn't woken up and they were almost to Vlad's mansion. And the dented car was still following them. His hand still place lightly on her shoulder, Eddie gave Sam a firm shake. He wanted to see her expression when she saw her "office building."

As soon as she opened her eyes, Sam knew that Tucker was right. Vlad was involved in this. As she watched in silence, Eddie drove the car along the windy paved driveway that led directly to the overbearing and desolate entryway into the Masters Mansion. A flickering tendril of unsease curled Sam's toes within her tennis. This was their office building? How stupid did he think she was?

"So this is where we work? I think my benefits package needs to be a bit bigger," she teased.

Glancing over, he graced her with a genial smile, "Amazing isn't it? But actually no, this is my friend's home. While you were sleeping I suddenly remembered that I needed to pick something up. You don't mind do you?" he asked, his eyes worried, as if what she thought was his highest concern.

Sam shook her head, "No. It's alright. Besides, it's just for a minute right?" Surreptitiously, Sam adjusted her sweater so the camera button was pointing out the window, then carefully tucked her hair around her ear so the microphone wasn't completely obvious. She just hoped that Tucker and Jazz caught everything.

Sitting in the car parked just beyond the outer gates, Jazz sat in the passenger seat with her jaw wide open. They had planned, visualized everything…but never the fact that Eddie would walk them straight into Vlad's house. "Tuck, I think we have an issue."

"You think?" he asked sarcastically, gesturing at the mausoleum a couple hundred feet away. They were lucky; Vlad's mansion was practically impenetrable so he never bothered with security guards. But there were the cameras stationed every ten feet. That was something they hadn't factored into their plans.

"This means," Jazz said a little sadly as she watched the nearest camera swivel its lens slowly around the area, "we have to be quick. It might be better if we left, find someplace to stash the car and came back for Sam and Danny later."

Glaring at her, Tucker slammed his hand on the steering wheel, "No! I won't abandon them like that!"Nervously, Jazz kept one eye on the security camera as she replied to his outburst.

"I don't mean abandon them Tucker!" she backtracked hastily, "Just ditch the car and come back on foot, it'll be harder to keep an eye on us if we don't have something that just happens to have an engine and four wheels weighing us down. If those cameras catch us then we'll be nothing more than more hostages for Vlad and Eddie."

Starting the car, Tucker gave a barking laugh, "Hostages? Jazz, from what Sam's told me, the only reason Eddie kept Danny is because he mattered to Sam. Like, mattering to her romantically. We're not that special." Slowly and as quietly as possible, Tucker put the car in reverse and drove off of the Masters property and headed south, trying to find some safe place to stash the car for a little while. Silently, Tucker drove the car along the road seething. He knew that Jazz was right and they could be of no help to Danny and Sam if they were caught, but still the fact that his best friends were stuck in that mad house was driving him crazy.

Maybe they should have called in Valerie for help.

Tucker quickly shook his head, there was no way they could have included her. Hell, he wasn't even planning on telling her the whole truth until after the wedding…with a wince he could only imagine the amount of bruises he'd have after that conversation. A glance to his right, Tucker saw that Jazz was just as conflicted as he was, her face was wrinkled in what could only be a painful grimace. Releasing the steering wheel with one hand, he stretched his right hand across the console and gripped her left one tightly. Together they drove further along the highway in silence hoping that their friends were alright.

Sam tried to suppress the shiver that shot down her spine. No matter how many times she had been dragged to Vlad's mansion, crossing the threshold always managed to creep her out. Peering up through her lashes, Sam gave Eddie a simpering smile as he knocked powerfully on the giant oak door that guarded the entrance to Masters Mansion. The side of his mouth quirking slightly, he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and dragged her barely hesitating body against his.

The door opened and a beautiful turquoise eyed woman peered out with a wide open smile. Sams breath left her in a rush, it was Maddie Fenton! What the hell was she doing in Wisconsin? It took her a minute before she realized that Maddie was floating a good six inches above the floor. Swallowing her shock, Sam smiled as warmly at the projection as she could as Eddie demanded to know where the master of the house was.

Walking into the entryway of the house, Sam kept her eyes peeled for some telltale sign or clue. She knew that Vlad and Eddie wouldn't be stupid enough to keep Danny out in plain sight, but there had to be clues. Danny wouldn't just give up without a violent fight.

She barely felt it when Eddie gently kissed her forehead, and in shock she watched as he left her to walk up the stairs that led to the second floor, his footsteps padded by the lush Persian carpet runner, "Uh, Eddie…?" She was nervous, the last few times she happened to be in this house she'd had Danny with her at the very least.

The quirky smile she had noticed a few minutes ago had now disappeared and an intense expression entered his face. Sam could feel the hairs on the back of her neck practically stand on end, it wasn't a particularly menacing look but what really made her so uneasy was the fact that Sam couldn't identify it. That look made Eddie look like a whole new human being….or something else.

"Don't worry Sam. I'll be right back." A hand on the balustrade, Eddie gestured to his left towards a thick paneled door, "Why don't you go into the library and make yourself comfortable? It'll only take a minute."

Nodding, Sam walked towards the door and didn't watch Eddie as he sauntered up to the second floor. Opening the library door, she popped her head around the corner making sure there was no one else in there. How in the world would she have explained her presence to Vlad if he had seen her? Awkward much. But she lucked out, there was no one in the room. Stepping carefully into the chamber, Sam was astonished to see that Vlad actually had somewhat decent taste for a creepy old guy. Filled with dark oak paneling, thick carpets on the floor, books that positively crawled their way to the ceiling and plush chairs that soaked in the red-orange heat from the giant fireplace. Gingerly, Sam reclined in the leather wingback chair closest to the fire and stared into the flames. Man she hoped Tucker and Jazz were close, just being in this place threw Sam back to her parents home. It was the stuff of nightmares.

The fire flickered rapidly in the grate. A harsh chill flew through the room, the rattle of the breeze deadened by the carpets strewn along the parquet flooring. Frustrated, Sam refused to let Vlad know that he was getting to her, so bundling herself into her fairly thin sweater she fought to keep her body from shivering. The chill had instantaneously transformed into a temperature dropping zephyr that shook the flames until they almost fell apart and died.

If she listened closely, Sam could almost hear someone breathing in the room with her, but she didn't remember hearing the heavy door being opened. Screwing up her courage, Sam spoke loudly into the desolate room, "Vlad if this is the way you treat your guests, it's no wonder the locals avoid coming anywhere near here." Taking shallow breathes, she waited to see if she could still hear the light breathing pattern from somewhere inside the room.

There. Vlad was still in the room. Damn Plasmius, getting his jollies from scaring the hell out of his accomplice's date.

"Eddie? Vlad? Gentleman, this is not funny." Sam growled into the quiet, the fire throwing light tendrils of light on the carpet and walls, but no light reached beyond where she sat.

Throwing herself from the warm confines of the chair, Sam turned her back towards the fire and faced the empty space. No one was there. Not moving, she stood there for a minute; they were just invisible, she wasn't to be fooled. But this was strange, not like Vlad at all. Sure he liked to play with his food before eating it, but this was tantamount to pure torture. She could feel her heart beating a rapid tattoo beneath her breast and hope that her guest couldn't hear it.

The globe over in the corner by one of the two draped windows in the room suddenly began to spin erratically as if on its own accord. Slowly Sam began to try to make her way towards the only way out, the door she had first come through. Before she could even let go of her chair though a low chuckle wafted through the room.

"Vlad?" she asked quietly as goose bumps slowly made their presence known along the expanse of her arms and legs. She wasn't afraid, this was Vlad. She could take him, ghost powers or not.

Behind her the flames died. No more flickering, no whooshing evidence of a breeze; they just went out. Almost at the same time, a few feet in front of her a small green light appeared. Watching with sick fascination, Sam hungrily eyed the light as it leisurely traveling upwards.

"Hello cutie." Sam's eyes grew huge in her head at the sight before her. It was Danny, one of his fingers alight with the small, oddly unmoving green flame. There was something wrong with him though, his smile seemed cold and his eyes weren't the electric green she had loved, nor even his natural bright blue. They were black.

"Danny," she gasped. The single flame clicked out and there was a single, prolonged scream. Then silence.


	10. Sorry guys

Just wanted to let any readers out there know...

I have not died. I have not been abducted by aliens. And my evil twin sister has not tried to knock me off so that she could get my half of the inheritance.

What's happen is this: I just graduated from college and moved back into my mom's place.._temporarily_, god willing. So in the furor that comes with graduating and moving one's entire life from one end of the country to the other things have been shuffled to the back burner.

Aka, Chocolates and Wine, and Ophelia.

The good news is that I'm more than halfway through the next chapter of Ophelia, as for Chocolates and Wine, I think that one will be put on hiatus for the time being seeing as I haven't been able to update it in some time. Sorry for the bum news, but I'd rather devote what time I have (which is not already focused on the ever elusive hunt for the job) to stories that have caught my fancy. Chocolates and Wine will be picked up again, I just need to reevaluate a few things first.


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